


Monsters

by Vorcha_Girl



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Eventual Romance, F/M, Mirror Universe, Romance, Soul Bond, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2017-03-04
Packaged: 2018-06-06 08:00:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 22,661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6745939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vorcha_Girl/pseuds/Vorcha_Girl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kaidan Alenko, a powerful biotic, is charged with working with a suspected latent human biotic - Commander Shepard. The two share an unusual connection and find themselves drawn together as they investigate a rogue Spectre on Eden Prime. </p><p>(A mirror-verse AU where biotics are psychic vampires and the asari rule a ruthless Empire comparable to that of the protheans.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **Monsters is set in an AU where biotics fuel their biotic powers by draining the life energy of people around them, and are feared and hated. The Asari rule a vast Empire comparable of that of the Protheans - all races are conquered and forced to join. Biotic children are taken and raised to be Spectres; the asari's secret police and authoritative right hand.  
> **
> 
>  
> 
> **Originally this was written to be part of the 2016 MEBB but I pulled out due to illness and am now posting it as I edit. Thank you to TLCinbflo who gave me feedback on my original draft.** _(Covet art by Abe7280 and coloured by Mitzyblue)_

* * *

 Kaidan's boots hit the gangway with hollow metallic _thunks_ that echoed through the council chambers. His black armour with the blue Spectre symbol gleamed in the low lighting as he strode authoritatively through the throngs of aliens, looking neither right or left as he made his way to the meeting. Two turians, their eyes wide with fear, scurried past him carrying a stack of data pads, and he almost paused as he heard the word _monster_ pass between them. Kaidan scowled and forced himself to keep walking; the Asari High Council was waiting for him and the punishments they dealt out to those who dared keep them waiting were enough to prompt him forward.

Besides, he _was_ a monster and _they_ were nothing more than slaves and cattle; walking batteries that he could drain if he needed to and certainly not worthy of a second thought.

The Asari Empire had rolled into Earth near on a century ago, sweeping aside all resistance with an attack that left Earth cowering before them. The sheer size and might of their army had been bad enough, but the terrifying powers the asari wielded, their biotics, was the stuff of nightmares. Millions died on that first day and one by one the major powers of Earth had surrendered. They'd been subsumed into the Empire and the human race had become another cog in their machine.

The asari, who prized biotics above all else, began exposing pregnant human women to Element Zero almost immediately - a process they went through with all their conquered races. The babies born stillborn or with gross deformities were quietly disposed of, while those born with biotics were celebrated and paraded before the public. The biotic children were raised in luxury and adopted by the Empire when they reached a certain age, brought up in training centres as Spectres; the authoritative right hand of the High Council.

 _Monsters_.

Biotics were almost universally feared, and for good reason; when they used their powers they drained the life of others around them. Their biotic power, the control and manipulation of dark energy, required a constant source of energy and _all_ biotics drew that energy from other living creatures. A careful biotic could take a little energy without harming or killing their target, but many biotics were known to drain people dry in combat - _friend or foe._ There had been a time in Kaidan's life when he'd aspired to use his powers without killing other people, but his training and apprenticeship had taught him that being a biotic meant it was inevitable that he would kill.

Kaidan sighed as memories of his training danced in his mind, but he pushed them aside as he caught site of his partner, Nyreen Kandros. She was waiting with her arms crossed over her chest, her mandibles held tightly to the sides of her face; a picture of someone who was incredibly uncomfortable. He could sympathise, few Spectres enjoyed spending time on the Citadel. There were too many sideways looks, too many people, and always the chance that some asari big wig would scoop you up and assign you to a new duty.

"Alenko." She nodded and fell into step beside him as they headed towards the meeting room. "Any idea what this is about?"

His shook his head. "None."

Nyreen made a turian sound of annoyance and scoffed. "That's so typical of the asari. Recalling us with almost no notice and without an explanation. One of these days someone is going to put them in their place."

"You should watch what you say." Kaidan glanced around as he talked. "The walls have ears. You know that."

She pulled a face but didn't say anything else, which wasn't surprising; all Spectres were raised to have an innate respect for the asari and the council, it was a part of their training that was deeply ingrained. Though, Kaidan had to admit, it wore a little thin when the council made it almost impossible to do your job with all of their meddling.

And Spectres, more than anyone else in the Empire, knew all about asari meddling.

His childhood on Earth had been privileged compared to most people, though it wasn't until he was older that he learned that his parents were being rewarded and compensated by the asari for providing them with a biotic child. The asari had been interfering and controlling his life from the moment he was identified as a biotic. When he was ten years old he was taken from his family and sent to the Asari training facility on Eden Prime, where he spent years training his biotics and learning council law, and later served a three year apprenticeship with an older Spectre - a grizzled turian called Vyrnnus.

Vyrnnus had been a hard but fair man who taught him that death was an unavoidable part of his life now. It was the first and hardest lesson that any biotic had to learn; they were killers and they had to accept that. Kaidan realised by his early teens that most people hated him, feared him, and saw him for exactly what he was - a kind of psychic vampire who could drain their life to power his biotics if he chose to.

There was nothing they could do to stop him either. As a Spectre he answered to no one except the High Council, and he had the authority to use his power wherever and however he needed to. He was judge, jury and executioner when it came to hunting down rebels and enemies of the council.

 _And_ , Kaidan thought proudly as they crossed the chambers _, I'm damned good at it._

They reached the High Council's inner sanctum and were waved in by an asari aide, the woman's powers stroking along theirs as they moved past. Kaidan ignored the subtle probing of his biotics and strode up to the council's dais. He knelt in front of it, struggling to breathe through the heavy press of the Council's power and picturing each of the Councillors in his mind as he waited for them to acknowledge him; Tevos, Aria, Benezia and Samara. Each matriarch was terrifyingly powerful, even for asari, and they ruled their Empire with ruthless efficiency.

"Spectres Alenko and Kandros, you may rise," Tevos instructed them, her voice echoing through the chamber.

Kaidan straightened, trying not to hunch in on himself. He always wondered if this is how normal people felt around him. Could they feel the press of biotics? Could they feel the tendrils of feeder energy reaching out and brushing against them, threatening to latch on and drain them dry? Or were they blissfully ignorant of the threat dangling over their heads?

"We'll keep this simple," Aria looked down at them as she spoke, her expression bored. "The Empire has commissioned a new stealth frigate that is due to start its shakedown mission in a few days. It's an intriguing mix of human and turian design." She smirked. "And we'd like you on board to oversee the mission."

He nodded. "Of course."

Nyreen murmured her agreement.

"There is a human on board." Tevos brought up a picture on a screen behind them of a human woman with red hair, hazel eyes and freckled skin. The image was familiar and Kaidan blinked in recognition. "This is-"

"Commander Shepard," he finished for her, his heart beating a little faster as he remembered seeing her in action on Elysium. The first moment he'd laid eyes on her was burned into his mind; her red hair had glowed like a halo in the setting sun, she'd clutched an assault rifle tightly in her hands, and her lips had been twisted into a snarl as she relentlessly pushed the rebels back. "She's the human who almost single-handedly stopped the Skyllian Rebellion on Elysium, and helped organise the reprisal attack on Torfan. She's one of the most decorated non-biotics in the human branch of the asari army."

Kaidan flushed when he finished speaking, wondering if he sounded as enamoured as he suspected.

Benezia nodded and smirked, evidently pleased that he had some knowledge of the Commander. "Of course. I'd forgotten you were one of the first Spectres on the ground after the Batarian rebellion on Elysium."

"Yes, ma'am." He puffed his chest out with pride, remembering how the colony's rebellion had been crushed within the space of two days, and their species taught a valuable lesson. He hadn't spoken to the human commander, but he'd heard tales of how she'd faced down several rebel Batarian Spectres, resisting their biotic attacks and using sheer brute force to bring them down.

He'd been tempted to track her down and get to know her better, especially after the initial impression she'd left on him. But he'd been called on another mission, and their paths hadn't crossed again.

"We have reason to believe the Commander is a latent biotic," Benezia continued, and something in Kaidan's chest fluttered. "We want you and Spectre Kandros to work with her on a ground mission, test her powers and see what you think. We arranged for her to be deliberately exposed to element zero multiple times over the last few months, and we're hoping close proximity to biotics will help her manifest. This is top secret, of course. If it became knowledge we were recruiting latent biotics we'd have all kinds of loonies turning up to try and apply." She sniffed distastefully. "However, Shepard's particular skillset and experiences make her an excellent candidate. Should she manifest, she will be apprenticed to you to complete her training, and then be partnered to you."

Kaidan barely stopped himself from flaring at the news that he would finally be getting a human partner. "Thank you."

Beside him, Nyreen stiffened almost imperceptibly, and he fought not to look at her as he picked up the subtle tells of her body language. If he did get a new partner, it meant they would be going their separate ways. She would be getting another partner as well, and would have to learn to work with a whole new person; not an easy thing to do when you were as mistrustful as she was.

Aria inclined her head elegantly and her smirk widened. "Your orders will be forwarded to you. Dismissed, Spectres."

Kaidan snapped off the asari version of a salute, thumping his chest plate with his fist and then marching from the room. The image of Shepard was burned into his skull, and his biotics curled inside of him excitedly as he thought of having her by his side. There were so few human biotics that he rarely saw any, let alone worked with them, and she was an impressive and ruthless soldier, the perfect type of person to become a Spectre.

If she manifested.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N - Many, many thank yous to the people following along and to those who left me reviews on the prologue chapter. I know it was only short, but it did introduce us to the dark world of the evil asari and Spectre Kaidan. FFnet has been broken half the times I've tried to respond to reviews for this fic, so apologies if you're one of the people I didn't get a chance to reply to! I did read and LOVE your reviews!**

* * *

 

The Normandy was a thing of beauty, all clean lines and gleaming silver. Sierra Shepard couldn't help but reach out and touch the bulk head as she toured the ship, trailing her hands along the smooth interior walls, literally getting a feel for the ship. Various junior officers and marines nodded to her as she passed, and she nodded back without smiling. A few of them knew her by reputation and tried to engage her in conversation, but she made her excuses and moved on. Forming close relationships with people was too fraught with danger, the few friends she had were carefully chosen and knew enough about her not to pry into her life.

"Shepard." The Normandy's new pilot, Jeff _'call me Joker'_ Moreau, nodded to her as she entered the cockpit, and Captain Anderson turned to look at her, his scarred visage a thing of nightmares.

The grizzled veteran had lost half his nose and an eye during the Batarian rebellion years earlier when a turian sympathiser had slashed his face with a knife. The asari had allowed him medical treatment so he'd lived despite his injuries, but they hadn't bothered reconstructing his face and the resulting scars had made a monster of him.

"So, Spectres huh?" Shepard crossed her arms over her chest and cocked a hip as she watched Joker run through the pre-flight checks. "Have you met them yet?"

Anderson nodded. "They briefed me when they came on board; Spectre Alenko is a human and Spectre Kandros is a turian. They seem professional enough, as far as Spectres go."

"Spectres? Professional?" Joker scoffed. "I've worked with Spectres before and I can tell you that if one thing is guaranteed to send a mission FUBAR, it's a Spectre. They're about as professional as the asari are kind and benevolent."

Shepard started to chuckle but checked herself as an icy touch crept along her skin a moment before footsteps approached from the hallway behind. The prickling feeling spread over her skin, and she shivered, fighting not to wrap her arms around herself. Biotics always made her feel like this, as though her skin was about to crawl off her body. No one else ever seemed to feel biotics the same way she did, but it was the only reason she'd been able to stay alive during the Rebellions. She'd felt those biotics coming for her and had been able to locate them even when they were keeping to cover.

"Spectre Alenko." Anderson straightened respectfully.

"Captain."

The voice was smooth, pleasant, and noticeably Canadian. Shepard forced her face into a neutral expression and turned to face the monster that they'd been forced to take on board. Her mind was full of images of the last biotics she'd fought; their snarling expressions, cruel laughs, and the way they'd toyed with her before they'd tried to kill her. But the man she turned and faced looked nothing like they had.

The first thing she noticed was how tall he was, easily over six feet and broad in the shoulders. His black Spectre armour gleamed and she dragged her eyes up to meet his, having to fight the natural instinct to look away. His skin was a healthy tanned colour and his jaw was dusted with stubble, as though he perpetually had a five o'clock shadow. He was handsome, she noticed, with a firm jaw and good cheekbones, but it was his eyes that caught her attention.

They were a deep amber colour, almost the colour of old fashioned pennies on earth, and were fixed on her in a penetrating stare that almost brought a flush to her cheeks. Dealing with Spectres when they looked like monsters was one thing, dealing with a monster who looked like a fucking male model was quite another, and Shepard shoved the part of her that found him attractive to the side. Whoever this man was, he was a predator and a killer, and his presence on the ship was going to make it hard for her to do her job.

"Commander Shepard?" The Spectre held out his hand and smiled at her, a small quirk of the lips that set her pulse racing. "I'm Spectre Kaidan Alenko," he introduced himself.

She hesitated for a moment and then reached out and shook his hand, thankful for his armour's gloves that provided a barrier between his skin and hers. Without it, touching him would have been painful; she was certain of it. His hand hesitated around hers, his fingers tightened, and then he drew back and gave her a narrow-eyed stare. Had he been able to feel that pulse of power too? That low prickling wave that had swept up her arm?

"Walk with me, Commander." The Spectre didn't wait for her to acknowledge his order and strode off, leaving her gaping after him.

She looked at Anderson. "Sir?"

"Go with him, Shepard. You know better than to keep a Spectre waiting." He nodded reassuringly, but there was doubt in his eyes and it sent a shiver down her spine.

Alenko was waiting for her in the hall and he led her towards the meeting room where he closed the door behind them, presumably to give them some privacy. Her skin tingled as he shut her in the room alone with him, and she fought hard not to show her nervousness as she turned to find him watching her. Slowly, as though not wanting to startle her he moved closer and removed his gloves, laying them on the conference table in front of him.

"I want to shake your hand again," he instructed and held his out.

Shepard froze. "Sir?" she asked, swallowing hard and rubbing her palms on her legs. "I don't understand?"

"You don't need to. You just need to shake my hand." He held his hand side-on to her and raised his eyebrows, seemingly amused by her reluctance.

_Stay away from the asari, Sierra. Stay away from Spectres. Don't look at them. Don't touch them. If they ever come for you, you are to run away? Do you understand? Don't let them know that you can feel them. Stay hidden._

Her mother's words the day they had left her at the orphanage floated through her head and Shepard shifted her weight on her heels. She knew her parents had abandoned her as a child rather than let the asari take her away from them, just as she'd always known she was different. She wasn't a biotic, she knew that, but she could _feel_ them. Sometimes the feeling of having biotics around her made her skin feel as though it was going to burst from her body, as though there was something inside of her trying to get out, but she always swallowed it down.

"Is there a problem, Commander?" His tone was sharper and his eyes had hardened, and Shepard gasped as she felt a curl of his power reach out and slide against her. It was an almost physical sensation, one that roused a strange feeling inside of her that felt like _hunger_.

Alenko used that moment to step forward and take her hand, and it was as though a live electric current jumped between them. Shepard's legs buckled as his warm fingers slid around hers and his biotics smashed into her like a freight train. She wanted to scream but couldn't even draw breath, and she whimpered as the buzzing power filled her body, sent speckles of light in front of her eyes, and drowned out all of the sound in the room. Desperately, in the back of her mind, she scrambled to find a way to break free.

It wasn't painful, but he was _draining_ her.

 _Feeding_ from her.

 _Killing_ _her_.

She was sure of it.

With one last effort she tried to break free of him, and with that mental shake his power seemed to change, soften somehow, and Shepard froze as the energy abruptly seemed to seep _into_ her; not hurting, not draining, but filling her with a dizzying warmth. It felt so reassuring, so wonderful and pleasant that she forgot herself. She stopped fighting and leaned into the power, drinking it in. How long she lay there, drunk on energy, Shepard wasn't sure, but the power slowly faded away and she drifted back to herself.

She had fallen to her knees and, incredibly, she found herself cradled against the chest of the Spectre. His free arm was around her waist, holding her against him, and his other hand was still wrapped around hers, their fingers laced. He knelt above her with eyes that blazed with blue light and curls of biotic power danced over his skin like azure flames.

 _He's beautiful,_ she thought dazedly.

It seemed perfectly natural to lean towards him, as though she were being drawn, and he likewise dipped his head to hers. The movement was instinctual, not conscious, and their lips met with a slow tingling rush of biotic energy. Shepard moaned in the back of her throat, eagerly pulling him close. The kiss was innocent at first, a brush of the lips, merest hint of pressure, but it was as though the energy between them craved more flesh to flesh contact, and she found herself wanting to be closer; to feel more of his skin against hers.

She pushed eagerly against the Spectre, caught in the thrall of their biotics and helpless to stop herself as she opened her mouth to the kiss, wanting more of that delicious energy. Alenko responded in kind and his tongue slid against hers; delicately, teasingly, as though he were just as caught up in the wave of wanting as she was. He deepened the kiss hungrily, swirling his tongue around hers, and Shepard had a deep and unshakeable suspicion that he was as starved for affection and human contact as she was as his fingers dug into her shoulders and he clutched her close.

 _He's lonely_ , she thought, and somehow she knew it was fact. This man, this Spectre Kaidan Alenko, was just as lonely and starved for human affection as she was. He was a perfect stranger to her, but being in his arms felt more right than anything she'd ever felt before. She could feel the press of his biotics, the weight of his need and loneliness, and how deeply and desperately he wanted someone to be with; just as she did.

_This is madness! He tried to feed from you!_

Shepard jerked away as the thought burst through her mind, and just like that the spell was broken. The Spectre let her go, and her momentum sent her sprawling to the floor where she looked up at him with wide frightened eyes. His armour reflected the lights and it gave him an unearthly air, as though he were some horrible spirit come to take her away. The look on his face was one of surprise; his jaw was clenched, his eyes were wide and his hands were frozen as though he were still holding her.

"What the hell was that?" she asked when the silence stretched, unsure if she should leave or if he was waiting for her to speak. Her face burned at her wanton behaviour; she'd wanted to do far more than _kiss_ him.

"That was me trying to test your powers," Alenko admitted. His biotics died down, the power drawing back inside of him and draining away until his eyes returned to that burnished copper and his skin no longer glowed with light. "I'm not sure what happened at the end there." He got to his feet and stretched a hand down, a faint smile crossing his lips when she hesitated. "But I wasn't trying to hurt you and won't do it again, I promise. I was just … _curious_."

Shepard slowly reached up and took his hand, his skin tingled against hers, but this time there was no searing pain or roar of power. He pulled her to her feet and when she almost fell forward he put a hand on her waist to steady her. She shivered and looked up into his face, her body almost clenching with need as she watched him. He made her feel frightened and off balance, but hungry, _incredibly hungry_ , and the way his power hummed along her skin was intoxicating.

"Are you okay?" He seemed concerned and the hand on her waist tightened slightly, his thumb rubbing gently in small circles that sent frissons of excitement over her skin.

_What was wrong with her? Why was he making her feel this way? Like she knew him and wanted to be close to him; it was madness!_

"Yes." Shepard mumbled and stepped back, feeling the loss of his touch keenly. She'd never felt this drawn to anyone before, and it terrified her.

"Well." He crossed his arms over his chest, looking ruffled and a slightly uncertain. "You're clearly a biotic, though your powers haven't quite manifested properly. But you were strong enough to stop me feeding on you-"

"No." Shepard interrupted, swallowing hard as panic tightened her throat. "I'm not one of you."

He tilted his head and that insufferable half-smile danced over his lips again. "As the old adage says, it takes one to know one. And you're a biotic. It's interesting that you weren't picked up as a child-"

"Commander Shepard was abandoned as a child." A duel toned feminine voice interrupted them and Shepard spun around, feeling trapped as she noticed the female turian standing just inside the doorway. She cursed herself for not detecting her presence earlier and watched nervously as the second Spectre approached them, a predatory look in her eyes. "It's likely that she slipped through the cracks in the system if her biotics were not _encouraged_ to manifest."

The cold manner in which spoke and the way she said the word _encouraged_ sent a shiver down Shepard's spine and she fought harder not to shrink in on herself. "My past isn't your business," she snapped, sounding far braver than she actually felt. "And I'm not like you."

The female laughed. "Not yet, but you will be."

"What does that mean?" Shepard looked from her cold eyes to Alenko's. "What the hell is going on?"

"Nyreen." There was a warning in Alenko's tone as he frowned at her. "Let me handle this."

She made a turian noise of contempt and stepped back. "Fine, you explain what's going on to your new pet but be quick about it. We've picked up a distress call from Eden Prime. There is trouble with rebels attacking the Spectre training facility and the Council want us down there to investigate. You should bring her along, see how well she does when she's working _with_ Spectres instead of killing them."

The Spectre spun on her heels and strode from the room so abruptly that Shepard suspected the door would have slammed behind her if it had been able to. She wasn't sure why the turian was so prickly but she had the distinct impression that she didn't like her, and even more strangely that she hadn't liked finding her in Alenko's arms.

"Pet?" she asked as she turned back to face him, ignoring the low thrum of power that seemed to connect them

To her surprise, he blushed. "Ignore Nyreen, she's being facetious. But we do need to talk about why I'm here and you may not like what I have to tell you." The Spectre rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and _smiled_. "You can start off by calling me Kaidan."

* * *

There was something about Shepard which Kaidan couldn't seem to get out of his head. It was as though when he'd tried to feed on her some small part of her had wriggled under his skin and stayed there, forcing his thoughts to flick to her every few moments. He'd tried everything to try and distract himself, but it seemed to be useless, and it was even harder when they were in the same room with each other; her presence called to him.

The desire to be closer to her, to feel that cool prickling power rush along his skin was almost irresistible, and he understood now why the asari tried so hard to pair up biotics of a similar species, and why biotics paired together so often ended up mated and married. Nyreen he understood and could read in battle; he knew her moves and what she would do almost before she did. But it wasn't the same feeling that he'd felt in that instant when he'd held Shepard and had felt her power shift along his.

He'd felt connected.

The sensation of her energy mingling with his, so tentative and faint, had been beyond anything he'd ever felt. It was as though their biotics called to each other, as though they were two different songs that harmonised perfectly when put together. When her legs gave out and she fell into his arms it had been second nature to catch her, to hold her, to make sure no harm came to her. The way she made him feel was addictive, and he couldn't get her out of his head.

"She really got to you, didn't she?" Nyreen asked as she watched him work out, her eyes following his movements as he did pull ups.

He glanced over as he dropped to the floor and stretched, easing blood into cramped fingers. "She wasn't what I expected."

"I thought you'd met her before?" She began to stretch beside him, graceful and flexible. "You made it sound as though knew her when you spoke to the council."

Kaidan shook his head and finished his stretching, then dropped to the floor and began a set of push ups. "No. I saw her a few times during the fighting on Elysium and a few times afterwards. She was impressive but we never spoke." Nyreen snorted and he glanced up as he did his exercises. "Well, she _was_ impressive for a human."

"Only, she isn't a human, is she? At least, not a normal one." Nyreen began a series of controlled martial arts movements. "What was it like?"

"What was _what_ like?"

She came to a stop and tilted her head towards him in a knowing way. "You know, touching her power? What was it like? You seemed very in tune with each other."

Kaidan finished his set off and shrugged as he got to his feet. "I don't know. It felt strange, not normal, but not unpleasant. Why are you so interested?"

"Just curious." Nyreen said casually. "You know what it's like when you click with another biotic. Sometimes it just happens."

"Like with your old partner?" He asked. "You and Nihlus were that close, weren't you?"

She froze and her head snapped around to look at him, her eyes flashing. "We were going to bond, until-" Nyreen clenched her hands, her rage obvious. "Until he met with his _accident_."

Kaidan nodded and didn't say anything else as his partner returned to her exercises. There wasn't a Spectre in service who hadn't heard of Nyreen and Nihlus and what had happened to them. Aria T'Loak had taken a _special_ interest in Nyreen, and when the turian turned her down to stay faithful to her partner, he'd met with an accident and been killed in action. Of course there was no proof that Aria was behind it, and as she was a member of the High Council nothing would have been done even if she had been, but it had a subtle warning for all Spectres.

The asari owned them, and to deny them what they wanted would cost you what you most cherished.

The room wasn't big enough for two people to work out comfortably in, and Kaidan gathered his towel and headed up to shower, deciding he'd done enough. The Normandy would be arriving at Eden Prime tomorrow, and they planned to take Shepard with them when they investigated the rebel activity. It might turn out to be nothing, but the High Council was worried and it was their job to treat it as a potential threat.

Kaidan pushed the button for the elevator, wondering where Shepard was at this moment. She hadn't reacted well to being told the truth about their presence on the Normandy, nor had she been pleased to discover that the High Council had been deliberately exposing her to Eezo. He couldn't say he blamed her either, but the Council were in need of Spectres to police their Empire, and any potential candidate couldn't be allowed to have their potential wasted.

He hesitated as he heard Shepard's voice coming from the mess as he moved to the male shower room, and his feet almost changed direction to take him towards her, but with a will of iron he forced himself to keep moving to the bathroom. Forcing his presence on Shepard might encourage her biotics to manifest, but it wasn't going to endear her to him.

And if he was honest, he wanted her to like him just as much as he did her.

* * *

**A/N - I hope you enjoyed it! I know Nihlus isn't canonically a biotic character, so you'll have to bear with me twisting that details for this mirrorverse fic. Now, we get into the meat of the story in the next chapter - hopefully you'll enjoy it. Review are much loved.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N – A short chapter, but I figured I should get this out for Mass Effect AU week on Tumblr! Thank you to the wonderful people reading along, especially to the people who have reviewed. It means a lot. Art of Sierra Shepard by Dahliadrawsthings.**

* * *

 Shepard tried to settle the churning in her stomach and the trembling in her fingers as she suited up for the mission on Eden Prime, the truth of her assignment now only too clear to her. She wasn't here because of a simple reassignment; no she was here because the asari had finally worked out that there was more to her taking out two rogue Spectres on Elysium then just pure dumb luck.

The knowledge that her superiors had been deliberately exposing her to Eezo in an attempt to manifest her powers made her feel sick, and that the two Spectres - Kaidan and Nyreen – were here to assess her and bring her in made her feel worse.

The thought of Kaidan sent a strange flutter through her body and she hastily clamped down on the feeling, embarrassingly aware of the effect he had on her. If she were honest, she found him almost mesmerising, possibly because he was such a strong biotic, or possibly for another more disturbing reason that she didn't want to admit even to herself.

He made her feel … _hungry_.

The buzz of power from him was dizzying. It drew her like a moth to a flame and made her feel ravenous. Greedy. _Starving_. She could feel him even now, on the far side of the room as he finished dressing, his energy singing to hers. The delicate humming tendrils stroking tantalisingly along her body …

"Ready?" Nyreen's voice snapped her out of her daydream. The turian leaned against the wall and smirked, her talons wrapped tightly around a shotgun.

Shepard nodded and straightened, hooking her helmet to her belt and holstering her weapons. "Yes."

She glanced over at Kaidan just in time to see him turn and their eyes clashed, something like a spark of power jumping between them. Swallowing hard, Shepard tore her eyes from his and grabbed up spare thermal clips, stowing them in her armour. There was no telling what they would find on Eden Prime; rebels were one thing, but rebels with the audacity to attack a Spectre training facility indicated a level of strength which made her uneasy.

With that in mind, she snagged a few grenades for good measure and stowed them in her pockets, trying very hard not to look at Kaidan again even though she wanted to. It was embarrassing just how aware of him she was, how much she wanted to go over there and be close to him again; to touch him, to see if that electricity was still crackling between them.

_No_ , she told herself firmly and turned her back on him.

Nyreen was watching her, and she smirked with a flutter of her mandibles. "You feeling okay? You look _hungry_."

"What?" Shepard blinked in surprise, feeling as though she'd missed something.

The turian glanced from her to Kaidan and chuckled. "You look like a baby biotic who's starving for energy. They're always attracted to big energy sources, and right now you can't tear your eyes off of Alenko."

"So why aren't I staring at you, huh?" She quipped without missing a beat and glared at the turian to cover her embarrassment, through her cheeks burned. "Does that mean he's stronger then you?"

Nyreen's mouth dropped open in shock and her eyes blazed blue, but Shepard turned her back with a smile and walked away. The skin on the back of her neck prickled as she felt Nyreen's power surge, but the biotic kept herself in check and the prickling faded after a few moments. Shepard swallowed and increased her pace a little; fighting biotics on the battlefield was one thing. Having to deal with them in a working environment was quite another.

Thankfully Kaidan wasn't anywhere near as hostile towards her as Nyreen was, and the smile he aimed as she approached made her weak in the knees. Since their little interlude in the conference room she'd avoided him as much as possible – partly to cover the embarrassment she felt at ending up with his tongue in his mouth after just a few minutes in his company, and partly because she was worried about what she'd do the _next_ time she was alone with him.

There was something about Kaidan Alenko that called to her.

"Ready?" He asked as she approached.

Shepard nodded and gave him a measured stare. "Of course."

She almost jumped as he brushed a hand against her lower back and steered her towards the drop seats, a low vibrating hum of power jumping between them.

Kaidan smirked. "Then buckle in and we'll set down, _Commander._ "

* * *

 

The Normandy set them down outside of the Eden Prime settlement, and the three of them set out together. A storm had blown in and a light drizzling rain pattered down, leaking into Shepard's armour as she splashed through mud and tried to keep up with the Spectres. They moved like shadows as they slipped in and out of cover, so silent and fast that it took all of her training not to embarrass herself and fall behind.

She hung back a suitable distance, aware that she was outclassed in this particular little trio, and watched Kaidan and Nyreen work as a team. No talking was necessary, and they seemed to instinctively know what the other would do or the direction they wanted to take. Shepard knew without being told that if she tried to insinuate herself with them she would only get in the way, so she covered the rear and tried to watch their flanks as best she could through the grey misty rain.

The approach to the settlement was eerily quiet, and it wasn't until they got closer to the outskirts that Shepard noticed anything amiss. Kaidan and Nyreen both took cover without warning, and she hastily copied them, hitting the deck and staying low until she was in a safe place to see what had spooked them.

Bodies.

They lay slumped in the mud around a prefab building that looked as though it had been an armed guard station. Most of the bodies were asari or human, and their blood was splashed around as though someone had made a ghoulish Pollack mural – the red and magenta blood smeared in a spiral-pattern. Shepard frowned and moved closer to the Spectres as she racked her brain and tried to think where she'd seen such a similar pattern before.

The rain had erased much of the swirl, but it was obviously circular, and the way the bodies had fallen indicated that they had been thrown outwards. Shepard sniffed the air, and through the odour of rain and mud, she detected the unmistakable scent of biotics. She wrinkled her nose and clutched her gun harder; was it possible that the rebels _were_ biotics?

The thought sent a shiver through her.

"What do you think made the swirls?" Nyreen asked Kaidan quietly, her voice barely a whisper. "Singularity?"

"Without a doubt." He nodded and checked his gun. "Whoever did this was powerful too."

They moved on before Shepard could ask how they knew this biotic was powerful. Distantly, she heard what sounded like gunfire, but with the constant pattering rain it was hard to tell. She focused on keeping up as the Spectres increased their pace. They found more bodies up ahead and evidence of a firefight, and this time Shepard heard the unmistakable sound of gunfire and an explosion, probably from a hand grenade.

Nyreen tagged Kaidan's arm and nodded in the direction of the sounds. "I'll check it out, you can babysit."

Shepard bristled at the babysitting comment, but Nyreen was gone before she could think of a suitable response. Kaidan glanced back at her and Shepard fought not to take a step away when she saw the faint glowing blue in the depths of his eyes. Something must have shown on her face because he nodded at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to drain you." He gave her a half-smile and continued towards the settlement, moving slowly and listening carefully.

"But your eyes?" Shepard asked as she caught up with him. "How do you do that without energy?"

Kaidan's gaze flicked to her briefly. "Think of us like a battery that can be recharged," he said as they trudged through the mud. "I can tap into my power without using it at any time. And small stuff I can do without using much energy."

"Like what?"

"I can produce a weak barrier, or use a throw without using all my energy." He skirted around a large puddle of water and paused to examine some tracks before they continued. "But anything more than that and I need energy."

She scowled. "So you kill people."

"Believe it or not, I usually avoid killing when I can." Kaidan glanced at her again, and something sad flickered through his eyes. "But sometimes it's avoidable." He looked as though he was going to say more when a scream sounded from nearby. Kaidan pulled her to the side of the track, using the thick scrub to shield them from view as someone came thundering down the road.

Shepard strained to see, and her heart iced over as she saw a lone human soldier running towards them. She'd lost her helmet at some point and terror was written across her face as she scrambled in their direction. Her feet slithered and slipped in the mud but she persevered with the kind of pigheaded determination that could only come from genuine fear.

Kaidan closed one hand on Shepard's arm and shook his head, warning her to stay where she was as he stepped from the thicket and effortlessly caught the woman in a _Lift_. His power vibrated through the air, and Shepard let out a shaky breath as she felt him draw energy from the soldier as he caught and held her, using her own energy to fuel his biotics. It seemed effortless, easy, and something deep inside of her stirred at the sensation of his prickling power.

_No,_ she told the faint pulse of power in the base of her skull, _I don't want you. Stay away._

The soldier let out a despairing sob and frantically struggled for a moment, kicking and thrashing in the air, before she went still. She looked down at them with brown eyes that darkened with anger and, to Shepard's surprise, she spat at Kaidan. The look on her face was defeated but defiant, it was clear she expected death and intended to face it bravely.

"Go ahead," she growled. "Do it! Kill me like your friend killed the rest of us! You fucking monsters!"

Kaidan brought her back to the ground with a flick of his wrist and caught her in a stasis instead. "Which friend?"

Shepard could hear the frown in his voice.

"Your turian friend! The one who attacked us!" She sneered at him. "He's massacred everyone-"

Her voice was cut off as Kaidan tightened the stasis.

"Interesting." He looked back at Shepard. "Looks like we have a rogue biotic on our hand. Maybe even a rogue Spectre."

"Is that bad?" She tightened her grip on her gun, flashes of fighting the rogue biotics on Elysium shooting through her head.

Kaidan nodded. "That's bad. Especially since I can count the number of turian biotics on one hand and all of them are powerful." He looked back at the human soldier. "Listen up. We're not here to hurt you. The High Council sent us here to investigate the rebel activity and to try to help. Do you understand?"

The woman stared at him, glaring daggers, but she nodded her head in a quick jerk.

"Good. I'm going to let you go now, but any moves towards your weapon, any sign that you're going to attack us and I'm going to kill you. Do you understand?" His voice hardened, and Shepard shivered at the cold tone. Kaidan was definitely very human for a Spectre, but in moments like this she remembered what he really was.

The woman nodded again, fear slithering across her face. Shepard couldn't blame her either; it was clear that Kaidan _would_ kill her without hesitation if she pushed him, and all three of them knew it.

He released her and stepped back beside Shepard, curls of blue still dancing over his skin like faint flickering flames. The sensation sent a ripple through her body, and wave of something like longing followed after. She shoved it down again, denied it. Whatever Kaidan was making her feel wasn't right; she wasn't a monster like him.

"What's your name, soldier?" Shepard asked to distract herself.

The woman looked at her curiously. "Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, ma'am," she replied in a voice steadier than Shepard had expected. "You?"

"Spectre Alenko," Kaidan supplied without pause. "This is Commander Shepard."

Ashley's eyes widened and Shepard stifled her sigh; as the only living human who had taken out two rogue Spectres, she was something of a legend amongst a certain type of human. She represented hope that humanity might one day be able to fight back against their oppressors.

_Little did they know_ , Shepard thought bitterly, _that I was one of them all along. A different flavour of monster, but a monster all the same._

"And you're here to stop him? To stop the biotic that attacked us?" her eyes flicked nervously between Kaidan and Shepard.

Kaidan nodded. "We are. Spectre Kandros is ground side too. She's a turian; do not mistake her for the rebel who attacked us or it will be the last thing you ever do."

The threat was plain in his voice and Ashley paled. "Yes, Sir."

"Now," Kaidan gestured for her to walk with them as they continued down the path. "Tell me quickly and only in facts; who attacked you?"

The woman drew in a deep breath and held her gun to her chest. "A turian biotic. He wore Spectre armour but the symbol had been mostly scratched out. He landed yesterday with some mercenaries and attacked the outlying guard stations and then the town. We didn't stand a chance, none of us did; he was too fast and took out too many of the asari stationed here. Without them we were basically helpless."

"A turian Spectre." Kaidan let his breath out in a hiss. "I have to warn Nyreen. Come on."

Silence fell as they hurried on through the rain, Kaidan leading them at punishing pace as he headed for the main facility. Gun fire still sounded periodically in the air, each burst causing Ashley to visibly flinch, and the louder it grew, the more she hung back. They rounded the final turn and Kaidan stopped dead, a barrier flaring around him brilliantly as, not twenty metres away, the rebel Spectre used a Throw to casually hurl a clutch of soldiers screaming into the wall of a building.

The crunch of their bodies hitting the cement was almost louder than the crumpling squeal of armour, and Shepard grit her teeth as a familiar fear fell like lump in her belly. The Spectre turned to face them and she thought surprise flickered across his features before he schooled them into a look of calm. His bird-like eyes danced over each of them, no doubt assessing their weaknesses and deciding how best to handle the threat they posed.

Then he flared his mandibles and _smiled_.

"Saren," Kaidan murmured the name like it was poison. "I should have known."

* * *

 

**A/N – Oh dear. ...but is everything as it seems in the AU universe? :D You'll have to wait and see! Reviews are very welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A.N - Apologies for the delay with this chapter. For those at you at FFnet I especially apologise for the delay, but I was waiting for some beautiful artwork for this chapter. If you'd like to see it, you can view it at the AO3 or on my Tumblr (VorchaGirl). Thank you so much to everyone who is following along - especially if you left a comment. Your support means the world to me. If I didn't get a chance to reply to your comment, I apologise - I'm buried under a pile of marking at work at the moment and I'm struggling to remember how to breath! ^_^**

**Please enjoy this chapter! Thank you to Reellifejaneway2 for the art**

* * *

Saren drew himself to his full height, and, to Sierra's surprise, _laughed_ at the sight of Kaidan approaching _._ He didn't look remotely surprised to see the human Spectre, and if she hadn't known it was impossible, Sierra would have thought the turian had been expecting him.

"Spectre Alenko," he drawled. "I should have known they'd send a loyalist you. Though I must admit I expected to see your partner here instead of two human cattle. Or did you bring them along as a light snack?" He chuckled as though he'd said something hilarious. "As you can see I have quite the smorgasbord here of nasty little asari loyalists."

He waved his hands and indicated the bodies lying around him, some of which were still weakly moving as though injured or in pain. Some of them _were_ asari and Shepard swallowed hard at the thought of a Spectre daring to attack one of their masters. Saren clearly had nothing to lose, and he wasn't bothering to hold back anymore.

"What is this?" Kaidan asked, staying put. "What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked, crossing his arms and gesturing vaguely at the bodies again. "Taking a Sunday stroll? Wake up, Alenko. The asari have had the run of the universe for too long. They're destroying cultures and using us as virtual slaves. Someone has to take a stand against them."

Sierra blinked; she'd known that there were rebels out there who resisted the asari's rule, but their Empire offered protection against savage races like the yahg, and they'd brought many races into the very heart of the galaxy. Claiming they were being used as slaves was a bit too far. Yes, the asari conquered worlds, but they avoided death as much as possible – every child was raised to know this.

_Brainwashed you mean,_ a faint voice mocked in the back of her head.

The words whispered through her mind, but she ignored them. It wasn't her place to start a rebellion, and she certainly wasn't about to join a rebellion if it meant this kind of wholesale destruction and loss of life. Her eyes skated over the bodies of the dead and injured on the ground. No. If this was how Saren intended to fight the asari then he was going to find himself at odds with many people in the galaxy.

She felt Kaidan's power curl and risked a quick glance at his face; he looked angry. His biotics vibrated lightly through the air, seeking a power source and she fought hard not to step away from him.

"And you think this is how you resist the Empire?" Kaidan shook his head. "You're every bit as bad as they are."

"Spoken like a good little soldier," Saren spat. "But I suppose you have to keep telling yourself _something_ to do the things you do and get to sleep at night." The turian took a step in their direction. "We're every bit as bad as the asari are. We kill and take lives in _their_ name." His voice rose, vibrating with power. "Well no more. When I kill, I want it to _mean_ something!"

Sierra felt power build around Saren like a storm, an invisible cloud of energy that he pulled from the injured people around him. She dove for cover an instant before Kaidan threw up a barrier and latched onto Ashley with his power, sucking enough energy out of her that the soldier sank to her knees. Saren's biotic attack thundered towards Kaidan, and his barrier flared blue as it held, protecting the Spectre and forcing the energy around him.

There was nothing she could do except take cover and hope that Kaidan didn't become desperate enough to start draining her. The fight was vicious, and Saren was using all the energy available to him as he lobbed Throws and Flares at the human biotic. Kaidan was holding his own and Sierra found her breath catching in her throat time and again as he used minimal power to deflect attacks which she was sure should have flattened him.

He was good; even stronger than she had realised.

She tried to concentrate on Saren, to feel for any breaks in his barrier, something that she could use to her advantage. Having a gun and grenades were all well and good, but they didn't do much against biotic barrier. It was better to wait for her chance; to wait and hope that he wore himself out. The two Spectres were moving closer as they fought, Saren pressing his advantage while Kaidan leaned into each defensive manoeuvre, not attacking, not yet, though she suspected it was coming.

_What about Ashley?  
_

The soldier wobbled weakly on the ground behind Kaidan as he fought, her eyes glazed and dull as she stared sightlessly ahead. Sierra forced herself to look away; she'd seen soldiers drained in similar ways on Elysium. Hell, she'd seen soldiers drained like that time and again in times of war. If Kaidan didn't take too much energy at once, if he kept up like he was, Ashley would be fine and would recover.

_But if he gets desperate … ?_

She left the thought hanging as she crawled through the mud, trying to stay behind the boulders and trees that lined the road towards Saren. She felt her way physically, heedless of the brown slimy mud that slipped in between the plates of her armour, but also felt her way with her power, finally embracing that small pulse inside of her. She sent it outwards, clumsily, feeling for Saren's position when she couldn't see him, tracking Kaidan's power as it ebbed and flowed.

She felt another power heading steadily in their direction, and she'd spent enough time around Nyreen to know it was her. The sound of gunfire was constant in that direction, and she guessed the turian was tangling with Saren's mercenaries. Or at least she hoped she was. Kaidan against Saren was one thing, Kaidan against Saren _and_ his mercs was quite another.

The tree line ended ahead and Sierra pulled up short, having edged her way around the clearing so that she was still relatively close to Kaidan, but much closer to Saren and at an angle where he wouldn't immediately see her. She holstered her sidearm and drew her sniper rifle, setting it up quickly and quietly, hoping that the bastard would slip up and give her the chance she needed to take him out and end this quickly.

Abruptly, and with almost no warning, Kaidan dropped his barrier and leapt forward – using his biotics to propel him faster and further than any human should have been able to jump. He landed almost on top of Saren and two clashed, their movements a blur as they used biotics in their hand to hand fighting. Sierra swallowed hard, her gut twisting as Saren swiped at Kaidan with a knife, the blade glinting silver in the rain, but Kaidan moved fast – using his biotics in a mini-Charge to evade the blade and land a staggering blow to Saren's stomach.

It barely slowed him down.

He managed to catch the human with a flurry of biotic blows that sent Kaidan reeling, but he recovered fast and took the turian by surprise, his body twisting athletically as he caught Saren in the face with a full biotic kick. The rogue Spectre went flying and his barrier flickered as he landed badly, sliding across the ground in a spray of mud.

She lined up a shot, and let the breath drain of her body, everything going still as she tightened her finger on the trigger … .

"I wouldn't if I were you."

Sierra froze as a barrel of a gun pressed against the back of her head, and a stasis field locked around her, keeping her frozen in place. Nyreen sauntered into view, and with a flick of her wrist she raised her up and kicked her gun to the side.

"Thought you were pretty smart, didn't you?" She sneered as she came closer, her biotics crackling. "Too bad you let you guard down." She pressed a taloned hand to her earpiece. "Saren, the rest of the surviving marines have been destroyed, and I have Alenko's pet human."

Fury filled her as she realised that Nyreen was working _with_ Saren and had known all along what was going on. She gritted her teeth and glared at her, wondering how many people Nyreen had killed and drained to reach this level of power. Her biotics swirled around her and she dropped Sierra's feet to the ground, keeping a stasis wrapped tightly around her arms so she couldn't go for a weapon.

She smiled as Saren replied, his voice a tinny buzz on the comm, and Nyreen gestured at her with her weapon. "Let's go."

"What do you need me for?" Sierra asked, refusing to budge an inch. "You're going to kill me anyway, so why not get it over with?"

The turian laughed bitterly. "Kaidan's putting up a fight and Saren's drained those asari soldiers. I did tell him this would happen; that Kaidan would try to take him on. I didn't count on _you_ being with us though, so now you get to be my backup plan to stop him." She put her face close to Shepard's and her mandibles twisted into a smirk. _"_ If Kaidan doesn't stop you'll get to be _my snack_. I like him; I don't like _you_."

Sierra kept quiet as Nyreen drew her gun and shoved it hard into her ribs, and with a curse she turned and walked out of the trees towards the brawling Spectres. She swallowed hard, her mind working a million miles an hour as she processed what Nyreen had said and what she _hadn't said_.

She _thought_ she was helpless.

She _thought_ that she would be unable to fight back if she started trying to drain her.

She'd forgotten that she was every bit as dangerous as they were.

Ahead of them Kaidan stopped as he caught sight of her, and the blue around him flared as his gaze landed on Nyreen. Sierra saw the instant he worked out for himself what was going on, saw the realisation dawn in his eyes followed by the disappointment and pain. His eyes flicked to hers momentarily, but they moved back to Saren as the Spectre got to his feet and set out tendrils of power; seeking more people to feed from.

Sierra curled her lip in revulsion as she realised every single soldier that lay on the ground around them was dead; eyes rolled back into their skulls and their limbs twisted in pain. He'd drained them all in his onslaught, obviously banking on distracting or overwhelming Kaidan before the Spectre could better him. His power moved to her and touched her skin lightly, seeking to find a way into her, to reach that pulse of energy that burned in her core.

She prayed he didn't try to feed on her like Kaidan had done earlier. With him it had been a rush, but she didn't think Saren would be quite so gentle with her, nor did she think their powers would blend as well. There was something ugly and sharp about the way his biotics touched hers. Something that made her skin crawl, and she tightened her shields.

"You knew about this?" Kaidan asked Nyreen. "You're with _him_?"

"I'm sympathetic," she responded, jabbing the gun into Sierra's ribs. "Like I told you back on the Citadel, one of these days someone is going to put the asari in their place and stop them. Why not us?"

"You know I hate them as much as you do, but look at what he's done here! All these people he's killed!" Kaidan gestured around them. "They'll kill you for this! They'll kill _thousands_ of turians in reprisals."

She shrugged. "Better that and freedom than slavery. The turian race has had enough, and at least with this place out of commission they can't train any more Spectres for a while." Nyreen stroked her gun alongside Shepard's face. "Which means that aside from your girlfriend here, they're out luck-"

Sierra moved then, embracing that spark inside of her and throwing all of her energy into one big heave. The power she'd denied for so long rushed free. It was like a damn breaking as it flooded her system, seeming to reach every fibre of her being as she strained against Nyreen's hold. The turian looked at her in surprise, and even Saren became distracted, staring at her in confusion as her power reached outwards, seeking sustenance.

It found some.

There was no blinding flash of power, no blue flare that burst free, but she felt the power surge inside of her and with a yell she ripped the Spectre's stasis away from her. She sensed Kaidan moving at the same time, felt a roar as the power he'd been saving up rippled outwards and he hurled a Slam at Saren. She wasn't sure what happened to the turian, because Nyreen was on her in an instant, her claws raking across her face and sparking off her armour as she tried to claw her eyes out.

They rolled across the ground together, grappling and fighting, and Sierra's hand closed about her sidearm. The familiar feel of the solid metal in her palm was reassuring and it helped ground her as the turian's razor sharp claws raked at her flesh. She shoved the barrel against the Spectre's midsection and fired until the thermal clip ejected. Nyreen jerked on top of her, a strangled yell bursting from her mouth as she tried to fling Shepard away with a Throw.

She held on.

The mud squelched under her as she locked her legs around Nyreen's waist and shoved her power inside of her. It was so easy, so unbelievably easy, to feed that power into her and draw out biotic energy. Nyreen let out another yell, this one harsher, more of a scream of pain, as Sierra drank her energy down. Hungry. So hungry. She could feel Nyreen trying to do the same to her, trying to drain her too, but she kept her out.

She'd been hiding who she was for years, keeping her shields tightly in place as much to keep the power in as to keep other biotics out.

Finally, Nyreen slumped on top of her, and Sierra shoved her bonelessly to the side. The turian rolled into the mud, so empty and still that she feared she was dead. But when she looked closely the turians chest was moving in ever so slightly.

She was still breathing; she wasn't dead.

Sierra left her there as a roar sounded from overhead and an unmarked shuttle came in low. She cursed and scrambled backwards as the hatch opened and she saw Saren's mercenaries taking aim. There was a moment when she thought she was gone, and then Kaidan slammed into her, driving her down into the mud as he kept his body over hers. His biotics flared, bright blue, and she screamed as she felt him use her power to fuel that barrier.

Black spots covered her vision and she clung weakly to him, unable to work out how he'd made it through her shield. Her body twitched, weakly convulsing as his power abruptly released her and his biotics faded. She gasped for breath, aware of him talking to her through the ringing in her ears, of him cradling her to his chest, but it was several minutes before she was able to think clearly.

"What happened?" she mumbled, trying to push out of Kaidan's arms.

He resisted her attempts to pull free. "Saren got away with Nyreen. I shielded us from the gunfire, but they provided cover for him and … he _fucking_ got away." The self-recrimination in his voice was clear. "I have to contact the High Council before they think I'm part of this."

Sierra tried and failed to stand, and Kaidan swept her into his arms as he called for a pickup.

"Ashley?" she asked, and when Kaidan gave her a puzzled look she elaborated. "The soldier?"

"Alive but unconscious." His hold on her tightened and he nodded to the side. "She wasn't hit by any of Saren's goons, but I'm not sure if she'll make it; I took a lot of energy during the fight."

Her heart sank as she saw the woman's body laying crumpled on the ground, and she shivered as she remembered sending her own power out and feeding on _someone_ in order to break free of Nyreen. Had she done that? Had she hurt someone?

"I'm a monster," she mumbled hatefully.

"Don't think about it," Kaidan advised as though he reading her thoughts. "You did what you had to do to survive."

His words were of little comfort and Sierra curled up into a small ball in his arms, closing her eyes and giving into the temptation to let the waves of exhaustion carry her away.

"Don't let her die," she whispered as things started to go hazy around her. "I don't want to be like the rest of you."

Time passed, she wasn't sure how much, and she heard the voices of men from time to time; Anderson, Joker, a woman she couldn't place. At one point she smelled a clinical medicinal smell and guessed she was in the medbay, and that the woman she'd heard was the doctor.

A long time later she came back to herself, waking slowly.

Sierra blinked, confusion and exhaustion leaving her dazed as she took in the sparsely furnished room. She was lying on a bed with a pair of very firm muscled arms around her, and she sat up slowly, holding her head as her vision swung around her. Everything ached, and each movement seemed to be more of a struggle than it should have been.

"Take it easy," the owner of the arms advised, and Sierra nodded as Kaidan sat up beside her, loosening his hold on her reluctantly. "Don't move too fast."

 

He was bare chested and wore only long black track pants, and his wavy black hair was mussed as though he'd been running his hands through it. A wave of heat went through Sierra as she realised they'd been lying on the bed together, and that he'd obviously been holding her for some time. She bit her lip, wondering if she should move away, but before she could do anything Kaidan reached for her again.

"Lay back down," he said gently. "You need to recover more before you try to get up."

Sierra flushed a bright shade of red and pulled away. "I don't … I mean … I hardly _know_ you-"

"I know, but I'm trying to make up for what I did." Kaidan looked uncomfortable and he chewed his lip. "I almost killed you."

"And us lying in a bed together is going to make up for that?" She scoffed and put a hand to her head as her vision swam sickeningly. "Oh God, I feel like I'm going to be sick."

"Shh." Kaidan eased her back into his arms and arranged her on his chest. "Believe it or not, this will help. I'm feeding you back some energy."

Sierra swallowed as she realised she could feel the energy flowing from him to her; a slow trickle of warmth that was soothing and pleasant. Despite how little she knew about Kaidan, it felt _right_ to be in his arms. There was something about him which drew her, and even after he'd almost killed her she _didn't_ want to pull away from him.

She settled back against his chest, too tired to resist her desire to be close to him. "How long have I been out?"

"About two days." Kaidan's hand traced patterns on the small of her back, his gentle touches reassuring and soothing. "They kept you in the medbay on the Normandy until we got back to the Citadel, but as you were semi-conscious the High Council allowed me to take care of you here."

_Take care of me._

"Am I a monste-" Sierra swallowed the ugly word and tried again. "Am I a _biotic_?"

He nodded, the bed shifting as he tightened his hold. "It was verified it while you were unconscious. You have biotic nodes, and what you did on Eden Prime was undeniable proof." There was a pause and Kaidan sighed. "I feel as though I should say sorry, I know you don't want this."

No, she didn't, but what choice did she have?

She changed topics. "What happened to them? To Saren and Nyreen?"

"They got away; other turian Spectres have joined them. The High Council are dispatching Spectres to track them down and quell this rebellion. God knows if they'll find them, but when you're well enough we'll join the hunt." Kaidan's arms tightened around her waist again. "It's possible Nyreen is dead. I couldn't feel any energy coming from her when Saren scooped her up and ran for it."

"Because of me," Sierra stated flatly. "Because I probably killed her."

She could still remember the way she'd drained Nyreen; how good it had felt to draw that power out and drink it down. It _had_ been a matter of life and death, of kill or be killed, but it had felt good. Killing wasn't anything knew to her; she'd killed more men than she could count on her fingers and toes as a soldier. But she'd never enjoyed taking someone's life before, and this had been so … _intimate_.

"What's going to happen to me?" she asked.

Kaidan moved so he could see her face. "You'll undergo basic training and education about council law and Spectre rights and responsibilities. And when you're ready I'll train you to use your powers properly; how to draw energy out without killing people and how to use your biotics defensively and offensively." She made a small sound and he soothed her with a wave of power that left her clinging to him. "It's okay. You're not going to have to go through this alone. I'm going to be here."

The words were more reassuring then they should have been. She didn't know Kaidan, but for some reason the thought of him being with her, of having him by her side, was comforting. Tears blurred her eyes and she fought them down, determined not to fall apart now. _She was stronger than this, dammit!_

"You almost drained me dry when the mercs fired on us, didn't you?" she asked.

He nodded. "Almost."

"How? I was able to keep Nyreen out. Why not you?"

Kaidan shrugged and his eyes found hers again. They were a beautiful shade of amber, and without meaning to she shifted closer, gravitating towards him, half-hoping he'd kiss her again or feed her more power. "I'm not sure," he said softly. "I know you could have kept me out, but you didn't. Maybe … you were tired?"

"Maybe," Sierra agreed; though she didn't think so. His hands circled around her waist and she let him move her closer. She drew in a breath, resisting the urge to bury her face against his neck. "Why do I feel like this around you?"

Kaidan didn't need her to explain the question.

"Our powers are in sync. It happens sometimes with biotics of the same species." His gaze bored into hers and he tucked some of her red hair behind her ear. "It's rare, but it happens in the best partnerships."

"I feel like … ." Sierra blushed and bit her lip before she continued. "This is crazy, but I _want_ you. I can't control it. It's like my biotics are pulling me to you." She snorted softly and placed a hand on his chest, feeling his steady heartbeat. "I just learned that I'm a monster and all I can think about is getting as close to you as I can."

"We're not all monsters," Kaidan told her with a smile. "But I know what you mean. This, _us_ , it feels good. It feels … _nice_." He leaned down and kissed her, and a spark of energy jumped between them as their lips met. He pressed his forehead to hers afterwards. "I know you didn't want this, but no matter what happens, I'm going to take care of you. I promise."

Sierra nodded sleepily as exhaustion ebbed through her body once more, sucking her down into the inky black depths of unconsciousness. She tried to struggle against it, to stay away, but Kaidan held her close and the warmth of his body and the pulse of his biotics soothed her. Distantly, she heard his voice, and the words found their way to her as she drifted off.

"I'll make sure you don't become a monster."

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**A/N - Hmm, it seems the turians are starting a rebellion, and Sierra and Kaidan are getting closer and closer! ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N – This took way too long to get out, but I've been sick again. I swear 2016 is trying to kill me. Anyway, thank you to everyone who has left me a review so far – I appreciate it! Please enjoy the next instalment in Kaidan and Sierra's little story! I enjoyed this chapter. There is a time jump of several months between the last chapter and this one.**

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"So Alenko, how's your little pet going?"

Kaidan looked up as a sneering voice invaded his thoughts and barely stopped himself from rolling his eyes as Kai Leng dropped into the chair opposite him in the Spectre common room. His black hair was pulled back into a pony tail and his cold grey eyes were focused on him with mocking intent, as though he had sought him out for him insidious purpose.

_Which he probably had_ , Kaidan reflected as he tried to hide his irritation. Leng was among his least favourite of the human Spectres, and his taste for needless violence and brutality were, in his own opinion, one of the reasons Spectres has such a bad name. Kaidan had little time for the man, and despite going through basic Spectre training with him, the two rarely spoke and he avoided the other man as much as he could.

"Her training is going well, thank you." Kaidan nodded politely as he picked up his coffee and stirred it. "How's your partner?"

"Jack?" Leng smiled nastily. "She's dragging some prisoners down to the detention centre. You can bet they won't slander the High Council again."

Kaidan nodded again and glanced at the door, wondering how much longer Sierra would be. Her training over the last few months hadn't been easy on her. She had struggled to accept her biotic powers and, to his disappointment, she had pulled back from him after the mission on Eden Prime. They were still close, there was no denying that, but after saving her life and sharing his energy with her he had hoped she would trust him; perhaps even see him as a fellow human instead of as a monster.

Kaidan's stomach clenched as he remembered the feel of her in his arms; the softness of her skin and the scent of her hair. After Eden Prime, she had accepted her fate as a biotic and had accepted him as a mentor, but aside from the occasional kiss or embrace, their relationship hadn't progressed as he had hoped.

When he tried to find time to be alone with her outside of training, she made excuses about needing time alone, and when that biotic connection reared its head and the tension between them sang she inevitably drew back and retreated to her own apartment, leaving from frustrated and alone. The desire and attraction between them was undeniable, and he was happy to take things slow, but it was difficult to know where he stood with Sierra, or even to gauge how _she_ felt about _him_.

Kaidan forced himself to pay attention to the other biotic, who was watching him with his cool grey eyes.

"Have you had the pleasure of meeting Shepard yet?" he asked.

Leng smiled, a baring of teeth that reminded Kaidan of a wolf showing its fangs. "Not face to face, but I watched her train with the other recruits that Saren missed. She's impressive. I heard she was graduating today, and you know how _brutal_ that last test can be. I thought I'd wait around and have the pleasure of meeting her in the flesh." He looked at Kaidan sideways and chuckled. "Assuming she makes it."

"She'll make it."

Kaidan had no doubt about that; not after Eden Prime. Sierra may have started her training far later than the other teenage recruits and may have been accelerated through the program, but she had the training and reflexes of a soldier, and she was powerful. Far more powerful than any natural human biotic he'd ever come across. There were those, like Leng and his partner Jack, who the asari had tampered with to make stronger; biotics who's power crawled with a sense of wrongness. But he suspected that Sierra even rivalled them.

The problem was that after Eden Prime she'd had virtually no control over all that power and she'd been terrified to use it.

"You sound _so_ protective. How cute." Leng watched him with a smug little smile and leaned back in his chair, stretching until his joints cracked. "So are the two of you ... ?"

Kaidan frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "That's none of your business."

"I'll take that as a no." He laughed. "Too bad for you, she's fucking hot. If I were you, I'd be tapping that ass already. You know, before someone with more balls beats you to it."

"Well, you're not me," Kaidan snapped, Leng's crudeness setting his teeth on edge. It was disgusting; the thought of someone treating Sierra like a piece of meat. "What are you so interested in her for anyway?"

The Spectre's unpleasant grin widened. "Well, it's not every day the Asari let a biotic slip through their screening process as a child, especially not one as powerful as your little pet seems to be. I'm curious. And if you're not interested in bedding her, maybe I'll put in a claim-"

"Stay away from her." He broke in, fury bubbling up at the thought of Leng _touching_ Sierra. "She's my partner."

The instant the words were out of his mouth he regretted them; the truth was she wasn't anything to him yet. The High Council had a habit of promising one thing and then taking it away when people displeased them.

"Oh so you _are_ interested. I wonder if _she_ knows she belongs to you? Maybe I should tell her." He still smiled, but his grey eyes were threatening. "Still, I guess it all depends on if she makes it through today, huh?"

Kaidan's anger raged inside of him, his biotics building like a storm. "What about Jack? I thought the two of you were together?"

Leng smile froze around the edges and he scowled. "Jack's still playing hard to get; she'll go to bed with me but she won't commit. I'm considering moving on and finding a new mate." He flicked his eyes up to Kaidan's and he shrugged. "Just another reason to meet your little pet, hmm?"

The temptation to punch him in his smug face almost overwhelmed Kaidan, and he clenched his hands into fists. "If you so much as _touch_ her-"

"My, my," he drawled and leaned back in his chair. "Mighty possessive, aren't we? Especially for someone who doesn't even have her as a partner yet, let alone as a bond mate. But then you always were an arrogant asshole, Alenko-"

Kaidan ignored the taunt as the subject of their conversation appeared on the far side of the room, her long red hair twisted back into a bun. Sierra's eyes scanned the room and, when they found him, they lit up and her mouth broke into a wide grin as she headed in his direction. Kaidan returned her smile, and he left the startled Kai Leng mid-sentence.

He'd never really paid attention to anything Leng said anyway.

"You did it?" Kaidan asked as she drew close, his eyes working overtime as he took in her flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.

With her broad shoulders and tall, athletic frame, Sierra would never be called fragile or petite, but there was something about her that was incredibly beautiful, and it drew Kaidan to her on a biotic level. It was the same instinct that had driven him to kiss her back on the Normandy when they'd first met, and it swelled up now in a protective wave.

Sierra nodded and, to his surprise, she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "Top of the class and the fastest graduate they've ever had," she told him.

Pride rolled off her in waves, a subtle swelling sensation which hummed along his body and settled in the pit of his stomach in a warm glow.

"So we're celebrating?" he asked.

_Please say yes._

"We are. I couldn't have done it without you." She winked at him and turned her attention to Leng, who was however nearby and watching their interaction with interest. "Who's your friend?"

"I'm Leng, _Spectre_ Leng." He held out his hand, oozing charm, and Kaidan bristled unhappily, an intense hate flaring deep inside him as the other man's eyes slid deliberately down Sierra's body. "It's a pleasure to finally meet the latent biotic I've heard so much about."

Sierra raised her eyebrows and extracted her hand from his, wiping it down her leg as though she'd touched something unpleasant. "You've heard about _me_?"

"Of course. The _Butcher of Torfan_ is famous even amongst Spectres, and when that same human turns out to be a latent biotic herself, well, the rumour mill gets working. I must say, you're every bit as _impressive_ as I expected you to be." Leng's smile widened and he moved closer, either too stupid to pick up on the signals Sierra was giving out or ignoring them as she stepped backwards and out of his reach.

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes as her shields went up tight and Kaidan found himself locked of her emotions again. "Thank you," she muttered.

Kaidan cleared his throat as he crossed his arms and got the other man's attention; Leng might not have picked up on Sierra's body language, but he sure as hell had. She didn't like the other Spectre one little bit, and she wanted to get away from him as quickly as possible.

And he couldn't blame her.

He looked Leng squarely in the eyes as he caught Sierra's hand in his. "It was nice seeing you again, but we're going to be off now."

The other man smirked and shook his head as though amused. "I bet you will." He turned his grey eyes on Sierra again and inclined his head as he caught her other hand and lifted it to his lips, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. "Congratulations on passing your training. It was a pleasure to meet you, _Spectre Shepard_. I'm sure we'll be catching up again, real soon-"

Kaidan hissed as a biotic shock passed through the three of them, a spark of power leaping from Leng to Sierra, and from her to him; a stinging zap that was Leng's attempt to draw power from her, and Sierra's automatic rebuff which had jumped onto him. It stung, and at the same moment that Sierra released her breath in a stark hiss of surprise, Kaidan stepped forward and shoved Leng away from her. The move took him the biotic by surprise and Leng's eyes widened at Kaidan's aggressive move, and even further as Sierra stepped up beside him glowering.

"Try that again, and I'll show you why they call me _The Butcher_ ," Sierra growled, her voice dripping with venom. "I don't like being touched by strangers, and I don't like having biotics shove their power at me. Got it?"

The other man raised an eyebrow and gave her a nonchalant shrug. "My apologies. I was just being _friendly_." He inclined his head and left them with a small smile, though Kaidan knew a retreat when he saw one.

Sierra relaxed beside him, her tension dissolving as the wall she'd thrown up came down and she leaned against him briefly, the tactile contact sending a small jolt of energy along his arm.

"Creepy guy," she commented softly.

"Kai Leng," he told her. "One of the more unpleasant human Spectres. He was in my training class when I came through the Spectre Academy. Not a strong biotic to begin with, but he was ruthless and good at killing so the asari put him in their augmentation program." Kaidan curled his lip as he spoke. "The program was basically a glorified excuse to torture kids and fill them full of tech, but it turned out a lot of strong biotics. They're not stable, but they're strong."

They made their way to the exit, neither one of them keen to stay in the Spectre offices while Kai Leng was there. To his surprise, Sierra caught his hand with hers and linked her fingers through his as they walked, winding herself closer to him as they made their way out to Citadel commons. It was the closest she'd been to him in weeks when they weren't training, not to mention the most affectionate gesture she'd willingly made in public, and he held his breath as he looked down at her in surprise.

"I feel like he's watching us," she muttered under her breath. "And something about the way he touched me was gross."

"Leng has that effect on people." Kaidan squeezed her fingers and gave her what he hoped what a reassuring smile. "You're okay now; I'll keep him away from you. I know you don't exactly need my help, tough soldier that you are, but I'm here if you need me."

"I know." She returned his smile. "And thank you; you've been a good teacher."

He looked down at their entwined hands. "Well, my motivations are slightly selfish; I want you as my partner. I haven't tried to hide that from you."

"No, you haven't." Sierra was quiet for a time as they strolled along. "I've been meaning to ask … do I get a choice in the matter? When you first told me I'd be getting trained, you said the High Council would be _giving_ me to you as a partner ... like a reward? Is that how you see me?"

Kaidan inwardly cringed; was this why she'd pulled away from him? Had he made it sound like she was a possession the asari were bestowing on him? A strange uncomfortable feeling came over him as he realised that maybe, just maybe, that was how he had originally treated the situation. His desperation to have a human partner who would understand him in a way that no one else could, for companionship and for a potential bond mate, had driven him to just assume that she would want the partnership too.

_And if she didn't?_

A sense of panic flooded him at the thought of being alone again and he forced it down with an iron will. "It would be your choice, of course," he managed to choke out, and he knew he had to look as terrified as he felt. "I'm sure Kai Leng would make a great partner," he added. It was a weak joke, but it was all he could come up with on the spot.

"Yuck." Sierra grinned, and just like that the tension between them broke. "Lucky I have the best looking human Spectre I've ever seen wanting me as his partner."

Kaidan almost sagged with relief. "Thanks … so does that mean we're partners?"

"It does, but you Spectres take a _lot_ for granted, you know. There's a big part of me that wants to say no just to prove a point. But," she looked back in the direction they had come and gave an overexaggerated shudder, "I think I'd rather die than run the risk of ending up with someone like Kai Leng by my side. Besides, I like you."

Kaidan had to fight not to smile; _she liked him_.

"Don't fool yourself," he told her. " _We_ Spectres take certain things for granted because we have to. The asari say jump-"

"-and we say how high. I get it, believe me." She rolled her eyes and sighed as a Salarian couple coming towards them abruptly baulked at the sight of their Spectre uniforms and quickly changed direction and hurried away. "I always knew I avoided Spectres, but I didn't realise how many other people did too. It's horrible. People look at you differently when you wear the Spectre symbol. I feel like people hate me now."

Kaidan shrugged. "They're scared of us. It makes for a lonely life."

Sierra bit her lip and squeezed his hand "I never realised. I'm sorry." She looked out over the Presidium. "I know I kept you at arm's length after you saved my life on Eden Prime. The whole thing between us, well, it scared me a little."

"You needed space." He tried to sound nonchalant even though he felt anything but. "I get it."

"It wasn't just that. It was the way you made me feel. It felt amazing, but it made it hard to focus around you when we were training." She kept hold of his hand when he made to pull away, and she stopped walking in the shade of a tree and looked up at him. "You're not like most Spectres; your power doesn't hurt me. It feels _right_. Now that I'm done with training I'd like to pick up where we left off." A faint blush crept across Sierra's cheeks, one of the most enchanting sights Kaidan had ever seen, and he smiled as she chewed her lip nervously. "I mean, if you want to. I don't know how this works with Spectres. Do you guys even date? Do you even _want_ to?"

Kaidan grinned, unable to stop the bubble of happiness inside of him. "We date," he confirmed. "And I'd like to be closer to you. A lot closer." He eased himself against Sierra, excited and nervous at the same time as he let his hands skim down her sides and settle on her waist. "We don't lead normal lives, but we're still _human_."

It made her smile, and a warm happy feeling spread inside him to have brought that expression to her face. Kaidan lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss on the back of her knuckles, a warm pulse of power passing between them. No one was watching them, and with a small smile he lightly bit her knuckles and flared his power, pushing a spear of biotics into her. Sierra gasped and her eyes widened, a beautiful flicker of blue dancing in their depths as she looked his eyes and trembled against him.

He wanted her.

"Kaidan ... ." She swallowed, her voice soft and hesitant. "I'm not ... I've never ... ."

She seemed lost and Kaidan folded her into his arms, holding her tightly. "You're nervous about being with a biotic?"

_Story of his life,_ he thought, a heaviness weighing on his shoulders as he thought of how many times he'd been rejected over the years by people who had been interesting in hooking up with him until they discovered who and what he was. No one wanted to be with a biotic, let alone a Spectre. They were the creatures of nightmares; monsters to the feared. He knew the look of revulsion all well when a woman or man worked out what he was and made their excuses and left, terrified that he would lose control of himself and drain them while they made love.

Even worse were the thrill seeking biotic groupies who hung around the Spectre barracks and tried to hook up with whoever would have them.

But Sierra shook her head. "No," she mumbled into his neck as she burrowed close. She took a deep breath. "I've never been with a man before. You know, sexually."

Kaidan froze. "What? But you're a soldier-"

"I spent my life keeping away from people because of the way they made me feel. I never let anyone close. The few boyfriends I had made it difficult to control the ... feelings I had." She shivered and Kaidan could imagine how hard it would have been for an untrained biotic to have controlled herself and stopped from feeding on them. "So I just didn't let myself get close to people. If you can't handle that-"

He shook his head and tightened his hold on her, a surge of possessive desire roaring through him. To be the first man with her would be an unexpected gift. "No. That isn't what I meant. I'm just ... surprised. You're very sexy, so I just assumed-" he trailed off, aware that whatever he said would just make things more awkward for her.

Sierra shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. "I tried dating but whenever things got too hot and heavy I guess my biotics would start to stir. I didn't know what they were, but I knew I didn't feel right so I'd stop." She leaned close to him and rested her chin on his shoulder, the movement one of trust as she leaned the side of her head against his neck as though seeking support. "I'm not frightened of being with someone or ashamed of my body, but ... I didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Well, you won't hurt me." Kaidan wrapped his arms around her, ashamed at the ridiculous way he was reacting to the news that she had never been with a man before; as though he was some primitive male who wanted to possess her. But he couldn't seem to still the excitement running through him. He was used to being _used_ by people if they desired him, or having to pay someone to be with him. This would be different; Sierra _wanted_ to be with him, and her desire was a heady, powering thing.

"You've felt the way our biotics interact; when we're close to each other we're in harmony. It feels good, right?" He glanced around and, seeing they were alone, he ran his hand down her body and cupped her backside, squeezing and massaging as he pressed her against him. She let her breath out with a small grown and shivered. "We _could_ drain each other's energy with a concentrated effort, but when we touch," he trailed his fingers across her lower back, and grinned as she shuddered with pleasure, "when we kiss," he kissed a trail along her jaw, "it's different. It's just us. Let me show you how good it can be between two biotics. Let me take care of you."

Sierra clutched him tightly, her fingers digging into his back as she kissed the side of his neck. "As partners?"

"As more if you'll have me." Kaidan drew back so he could look into her eyes, and he smirked as he traced the curve of her jaw. "But as equals. And I swear I'll take things as slow as you like."

"I like that, but I should warn you," she leaned close, a twinkle in her eyes, "I'm not known for moving slow when there's something _I_ want."

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**A/N – Hehe, okay … the next chapter is smut. I won't lie to you. Smutty smutty goodness! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and remember that reviews are loved.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N - Well, this took much longer to get out than I intended. For those who don't know, a storm destroyed my house (it ripped the roof off) just before Christmas and my husband and I have been in emergency accommodation ever since while insurance sorts out repairing our house. My laptop was also destroyed when the water flooded my house, so I was without a laptop for several weeks. Thankfully I'm writing again now, albeit slowly since I'm fairly stressed and fairly busy.**

**Unfortunately this chapter got too long and I had to split it in half, so the promised smut between Sierra and Kaidan won't happen until the following chapter. But on the plus side, it's already been written so I should be able to get it up fairly soon. Thank you very much to all the amazing people who are reading along and leaving me feedback - I really appreciate the positivity, especially with the hard time I've been having. You're all amazing!**

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Sierra's gaze slid over the bustling crew of the Normandy as she followed Kaidan aboard, half-hoping to see a friendly face among the sea of strangers. The crew was the same as the last time she had been aboard, but the feeling from the people around her was completely different. She sighed inwardly as two privates gave her sidelong glances and hurried past; as though worried that if they hesitated near her for long enough she would begin to drain their life away.

_Idiots_ , she thought after them. _I'm still the same person I was the last time I worked with you!_

Though maybe she was taking this all too personally. Maybe they were simply like she used to be, and they just wanted to stay away from the Spectres? Maybe all they wanted to do was to avoid drawing attention the Empire's attention to themselves? She could hardly blame them for that; her own life had been altered dramatically as soon as the asari had turned their attention on her.

Though it hadn't been all bad, at least she'd found Kaidan.

She followed a step behind him as he led the way to the Captain's ready room, his familiar silhouette outlined ahead of her by the light of the galaxy map and the terminals at the CIC. The ship still smelled like new paint and fresh steel, and the surfaces still gleamed; unmarked and untried. If the Normandy had been chasing turian rebels around for the last few months while she was in training, they certainly hadn't seen much action.

It was good to be out of training. Not that she relished the thought of using her biotics in battle to drain energy out of people, but it was good to have _options_ , and having something other than a gun or a knife at her side to help protect the lives of the people around her would be helpful.

What had been less thrilling was that the Council were, in her opinion, a little too interested in her combat abilities, and several times when she had been training with the younger recruits Tevos had come to watch; her doe-like eyes following her moves as she learned to use her biotics.

Tevos had insisted she be pushed through the training program faster than her teachers thought sensible. Not because she wasn't capable of using her powers in battle - _she had picked that up only too well_ \- but because there were months of classes on biotic theory and basic training that she had missed. Hell, she hadn't even known how biotics technically _worked_ ; the asari had pulled her from the biology class that was supposed to teach her that basic information to give her _extra_ combat training.

Sierra let out an annoyed breath, but hastily shook her head at Kaidan to show him everything was fine with her gave her a puzzled glance. The only good thing about finishing her training so quickly was that Tevos had allowed her to be partnered up with him, and at least having Kaidan as her partner and mentor meant that they got to spend more time together. They were still intending to become bond mates, _the word still sent a flutter of nerves through her chest_ , so the more time they spent together the better.

They descended the stairs and made their way to the briefing room where they had been told they would find the Captain. The door whooshed open, and Sierra felt a smile flick briefly over her lips as she took in Anderson's grizzled visage standing at the head of the table. His dark gaze hesitated on Kaidan for a moment and then moved to her, considerable warmth in his eye despite her new position as a Spectre. It was the first friendly look someone had aimed her way since she had come aboard, and the knot of tension in her stomach loosened.

She still had friends here.

"Captain Anderson," Kaidan greeted him with a drawling tone that Sierra was beginning to recognise as his Spectre voice, and the captain turned his attention back to him.

"Spectre Alenko, it's a pleasure to have you on board again." Anderson reached out a hand to shake the one that Kaidan offered without flinching, seemingly unperturbed to have Spectres on board. "And Spectre Shepard, it's always good to see you." It wasn't often that the scarred captain smiled, but the ghost of something that _could_ have been a smile twitched at the corner of his lips, as though he were amused at seeing her in the Spectre uniform.

He probably was; the irony would have appealed to him.

"Councillor Tevos sent through word that she will be joining us shortly via hologram to brief you personally. We're just waiting on the other Spectres to arrive." The Captain's brow furred slightly as he continued. "I'm not sure what accommodations you need, but the ship is at your disposal. The Executive Officer's quarters are currently free, as is the Visiting Dignitaries room-"

"We'll take the Dignitaries room," Kaidan interrupted. "The other Spectres can have what's left."

Sierra didn't miss the look of surprise that Anderson threw at her, but she chose to ignore it. No doubt many of her old acquaintances would raise their eyebrows when they saw her paired off with Kaidan, but the chances of her running into many of them were slim, and the chances of _them_ casting anything but fleeting judgement on her was even slimmer.

People had bigger things to worry about than who she chose to share a room with.

She gave herself a little shake. "The other Spectres … ?"

"Are here."

The voice made her flesh crawl, and with a low shudder she turned to see Leng stroll into the room, his colourless grey eyes zeroing in on her and then sweeping to Kaidan; a low, taunting smile creeping across his face. A tattooed woman followed him who made every hair on Sierra's body stand on end with the power that seeped from her body. Her biotics sucked on the very air of the room and tendrils of energy swirled invisibly around her like the tentacles of a jellyfish.

The amount of energy coming off her was terrifying, and Sierra fought not to take a step back as she drew closer. _Had she fed recently and was she bloated with energy? Or was this disturbing aura normal?_ She felt like no other biotic that she had ever felt, and she remembered dimly what Kaidan had told her about Jack's power being augmented artificially.

There was something dark and awful about the way her biotics hung about her like a hovering storm cloud; never drawing back inside of her and wavering in the air threateningly. They moved around her steadily, not light and bright but oily and dangerous, and Sierra shivered as a thread of revulsion slipped down her spine as the woman moved closer still; unable to help but feel that she was somehow unclean and tainted.

The woman's long, dark hair was pulled into a careful plait that showed off her myriad of piercings, scars and tattoos. Sierra let her eyes follow the pattern of her colourful tattoos down her neck where they vanished into the scuffed black armour of her Spectre uniform. The biotic woman turned dark brown eyes on her, and Sierra's heart leapt in her chest as she felt her power delicately flick out and touch her, the barest of licks along her skin, and she stepped back and bared her teeth, unable to stop herself.

It took every ounce of strength she had not to snap at the other woman to get away from her, but she had a feeling she was toying with her, testing her even, and with the same determination that let her face down enemies on the battlefield she smiled politely and stretched out a hand.

"I don't believe we've had the pleasure, Spectre … ?"

The woman blinked in shock and her power drew back as though it were a living thing sucking in a surprised breath. "Jack," she said, the name falling from her lips like a stone, and after a moment's hesitation she reached out and took Sierra's hand. "Just Jack. I don't like the title of Spectre."

Her voice was low and dream-like, soft and melodic; it reminded Sierra of a cat's purr. But like a cat, she suspected it was an illusion and that there was very little that was soft or gentle about the woman herself. She was all angles, claws, and sharp edges. Her hand was dry and cold, surprisingly so, and when she touched her skin she felt nothing - no biotic spark, no sign of the creeping terrifying power she could sense hovering in the air around her.

A chill ran down her spine again, and when Sierra pulled her hand back she fought the urge to rub it against her leg as she had she'd touched Leng the day before.

Leng laughed, and to Sierra's ears it sounded forced. "Jack isn't a fan of titles." He turned his attention on Anderson. "So, are we going to get this party started?"

The captain nodded and activated the QEC, connecting them with the asari council chambers. They were routed through several offices and lower ranked officials before they were finally put through and Tevos' image flickered to life. Sierra felt herself standing just a little bit taller and straighter; it had been Tevos who has sworn her in as a Spectre and she could still remember the way the asari's eyes had burned with interest as she pinned her new rank tab to her, and the way her biotics had prickled against her skin unpleasantly, so unlike Kaidan's.

The asari were truly terrifying.

Tevos got straight to business. "Saren and his band of rebels have been attacking our fuel depots in the Serpent Nebula. Hit and run strikes for the most part, but they're getting bolder and we suspect he's preparing to make an attack on our main research base on Noveria. This cannot be allowed to happen. Many of our top scientists are currently there working on high priority projects for the Empire, including Matriarch Benezia's own daughter, Doctor Liara T'soni."

"So this is primarily an extraction mission?" Kaidan leaned against the QEC. "You want us to get her daughter out?"

"Extract Liara and, if possible, either catch or destroy the turian rebels. The traitors Saren and Nyreen are priority targets for capture, the other rebels can be killed on sight. But an attack on Noveria should be prevented if possible to preserve our research projects." Tevos sniffed as if the thought of rebels and traitors was disturbing to her. "I am sending some of my personal guard to assist you. Two Shadows will be joining you on the Normandy shortly. Once they have-"

"Two Shadows?" Leng broke in, a horrified expression on his face. "You expect us to work with _two Shadows_?"

Tevos hesitated for the breadth of a second, and Sierra saw the cold fire of biotics flash in her eyes. "Yes," she said icily, her tone leaving no room for argument. " _I am_. Will that be a problem, Spectre Leng? Or should I have you … _reassigned_?"

The way she said reassigned made the hair stand on Sierra's arms stand on end, and she felt Kaidan stiffen almost imperceptibly beside her.

Leng shuddered slightly and shook his head. "That won't be necessary. I'll be happy to work with them."

His sudden complacency surprised Sierra and she narrowed her eyes; whatever being reassigned meant, it couldn't be pleasant, as both Kaidan and Leng had reacted fearfully, and neither man seemed the type to scare easily.

"Excellent. They'll be joining you shortly." Tevos turned her cold blue eyes on each of them in turn and smiled thinly. "Make me proud, Spectres."

They thumped their chests in a salute as the connection ended and Sierra let out a breath that was echoed around the QEC. She had no idea if these were normal orders for Spectres or not, but clearly working with the asari's personal guard, the illusive and highly trained Shadows, _was_ out of the ordinary.

"What the living fuck?" Leng hissed, talking more to himself than anyone else. "Shadows? We have to work with Shadows now?"

"Two of them too." Kaidan looked almost as angry as Leng. "I've only ever worked with one before, and that was always bad enough."

The other biotic made a sound as if he'd smelled something repulsive. "They think the asari are their Goddesses you know. They actually _worship_ them."

Kaidan snorted. "Oh, I know. But that just makes them more dangerous. They're fanatics, and if we have two of them along with us we can't afford to have any slip-ups on this mission." He turned worried eyes on Sierra. "Even if we don't catch Saren and Nyreen, we have to get the Councillor's daughter off Noveria. If we don't … ." He trailed off and looked away, his jaw tightening.

"If we don't we'll be reassigned. Just like Rahna was." Leng spat the words almost fearfully, and Kaidan turned towards him with a growl.

"That won't happen." Kaidan glanced back at _her_ and then at Leng again. "I won't let it."

Sierra frowned. She didn't know who Rahna was but something about the name had set Kaidan off. His biotics crackled through the air, tense and ready to fight, and she saw Leng straighten in response. Both men were angry and frightened at … _something_. Questions flashed through her mind: what the hell did getting reassigned mean? Who was Rahna?

Before she could ask, Jack moved to stand close to her partner and murmured something in his ear. He broke eye contact with Kaidan, nodded and whispered something back, and Jack straightened, her gaze finding Anderson. Kaidan continued bristling, but Leng ignored him and after a moment her partner's biotics faded again, still sizzling and hot with anger but without the eminent threat of violence staining them.

"Where is our room?" Jack demanded softly, her voice like a velvet covered steel blade. "We wish for privacy. _Now_."

Anderson started, as though surprised to find them talking to him. "The Executive Officer's quarters are free. Follow me." He led the way from the room at a sharp pace, and the two Spectres followed them, the room feeling lighter and less ominous without their oppressive biotic presence.

Sierra turned to face Kaidan when they'd gone; he still looked angry, frustrated and frightened, and she couldn't blame him. The asari's personal guard, their Shadows, were the assassins of the galaxy. They were the creatures who made _Spectres_ vanish. Highly trained and often biotic themselves, they came from a mysterious race called the drell who the asari had apparently "saved" and relocated to a more suitable planet.

As with everything though, the asari's benevolence was a double-edged sword, and in return for saving their species the drell trained their children as the asari asked, and the best and most talented were given to the asari to become their Shadows. Few people saw them, or at least few people saw them and lived to tell, but Sierra had seen one during the Rebellions; a cloaked figure whose iridescent green skin had gleamed under the planet's dim light as he'd moved impossibly fast.

She had seen him for only a few moments and had had a confused glimpse of reptilian-like scaly skin, eyes like a starry black sky, and a face that bore tattoos that mirrored asari facial markings. Then the Shadow had been gone with a flash of biotics and had left a trail of death and blood behind him.

Yet somehow, she had a feeling that Kaidan's current emotions had less to do with the news that Shadows were joining them and more to do with the name that Leng had mentioned.

_Rahna_.

"Let's go to our room. I'd rather not be here when the Shadows arrive." Kaidan seemed back to normal and Sierra wordlessly followed him, mulling over the questions rapidly building in her mind about reassignment, Shadows, and most importantly, about Rahna.

She wasn't a superstitious woman, but she had a bad feeling about this mission.

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**A/N - I hope you enjoyed this chapter - all questions about Kaidan and Leng's history with Rahna, and what reassignment is, will be answered soon. But not in the next chapter. Hehe, that's basically just glorious wonderful sexy time for Sierra and Kaidan! :D**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N - Many thank yous and love to the people who read and reviewed my last chapter. I'm glad you guys liked it! Finally, we have Sierra and Kaidan's first time together! *Gulps* I hope you like it! I was really nervous writing this, but hopefully you guys like it as much as Sierra and Kaidan do. Hehe. I genuinely think this is one of the best chapters of anything I've even written! ^_^ *goes back to the gutter***

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"Do you think we'll see much of the Shadows?" Sierra asked, desperate to break the silence that had fallen as they walked back to the room. Her mind still swirled with unasked question about reassignments, Shadows and Rahna, but more and more her focus was turning to Kaidan and the fact that they would be sharing a room together.

Kaidan lifted one shoulder nonchalantly. "I've never worked with them before, so who can say? The most contact I've had was during the Rebellions on Elysium, and they rarely interacted with anyone other than the asari and each other back then."

Sierra shivered and she said nothing more as they reached their room and entered _._

_What it would be like to be raised to kill people like that?_ She wondered.

Her eyes flicked to Kaidan and slid down his form as he moved around the room, stripping off his chest armour setting aside his weapons. Spectres and Shadows were both victims of the asari in their own way; taken as children and raised to be killers. But she knew enough to know that while Spectres had autonomy and a measure of freedom, the Shadows were indoctrinated to a single asari through mind-melds and religious training.

They were brainwashed from childhood to be assassins; ruthless, efficient and single-minded.

Whatever had become of her parents, she was grateful that they had hidden her as a child and saved her from a similar childhood. Spectres weren't the horror movies monsters that she had always expected them to be, and they weren't the boogeymen that Shadows were, but they were, each in their own way, a trained killer. Even Kaidan, who was far warmer than she had ever imagined, had ruthless side and a darkness in him that scared her.

And she was sharing a room with him.

Sierra swallowed as Kaidan turned to face her, his dark underarmour hugging his muscles and outlining a body that had been honed to perfection. The bedroom felt very small all of a sudden, as though he were filling up more than his fair share of the space, and she became acutely aware of exactly what sharing a room with him would entail. The room, although large, contained only one bed.

One bed for two people.

Sierra's heart began to hammer as Kaidan stepped towards her.

Space was at a premium on all vessels and rooms were never large, but the asari tended travelled in style, and all ships in their fleet had to be equipped with rooms suitable for their needs. Snagging the visiting dignitaries room for them had been a clear and obvious choice on Kaidan's behalf, as it afforded them privacy and at least a measure of space.

Had he chosen this room just for privacy and space? Or had there been another motive?

Her eyes fell on the double bed that filled most of the room and she swallowed again, wondering if this was where Kaidan had stayed last time, and if his partner had stayed with him back then too.

_Kaidan and Nyreen … ?_ Jealousy abruptly shot through her, sharp, bitter, and foreign, and she swallowed it down with difficulty. She was being stupid. Kaidan and Nyreen had been partners and nothing more. If there had been anything else between them, surely Nyreen wouldn't have betrayed him so easily?

But the thought refused to budge.

"Did you share a room like this with Nyreen?" Sierra blurted out as Kaidan stepped closer, her curiosity overwhelming her, and felt foolish when Kaidan froze and his eyebrows shot up in surprise.

The corners of his mouth twitched as though he were fighting off a smile and he shook his head. "No," he told her, seemingly amused. "I didn't typically share a room with Nyreen. We weren't close like _that_." His gaze met hers and for a moment his eyes roved her face, his biotics pulsing gently against her body in a not entirely unpleasant way.

"Oh." She felt stupid as his molten gaze burned into her. "I just wondered." Her eyes crept back to the bed as though they had a mind of their own and her face burned as she remembered the last time she and Kaidan had slept together. The memory of the way his arms had felt around her as he had held her close and of the way he had slowly fed his own energy into her was etched into her memory. Nothing had happened but … she had _wanted_ it too.

She still did; _she wanted him._

"There's only one bed," she said abruptly, not sure why she was stating the obvious.

"I know." Kaidan nodded. "We've shared a bed before with no problems, so I didn't think you'd mind-" He seemed to sense her nerves and he stopped mid-sentence, uncertainty darkening his features. "But if you're uncomfortable, I can sleep in a pod or on the floor? I know I'm pretty irresistible, and I wouldn't want you risking your virtue."

It was a bad joke, but Sierra grinned. The thought of Kaidan, a _Council Spectre_ , sleeping inside a pod like a common soldier was almost enough to make her laugh, and she shook her head in amusement. "I don't think that will be necessary. Besides, I don't think there's room inside one of those pods for you _and_ your ego, Spectre Alenko."

"Ouch," he returned her smile, but a little of the tension remained around his eyes.

"So, _what if_ ," she made sure she had his attention before she continued. "What if I _am_ happy to share the bed with you?" She closed the gap between them and slid her arms boldly around his neck, the warmth of his biotics seeping into her skin. It felt good, like coming home. "What then?"

Kaidan wrapped his own arms around her waist, the movement pulling her closer against him, and the uncertainty in his eyes vanished; replaced by a very male look of anticipation. "Whatever you want. I've already told you that I'll move as fast or slow as you need me too. But," his voice dropped lower, "we're both adults, and I'd very, _very_ much like to show you how good lovemaking can be for biotics … when you're ready."

His power brushed against her, stroking things low in her body that no human could have physically touched. Sierra shivered in his arms; wanting him to keep going, but frightened of what might happen if she did. All those other times she had been with men she had felt that same stirring inside of her, that inhuman hunger that seemed to come from her very soul herself.

She hesitated for all of a second, wavering on a knife edge between her old prejudices and the desire thrumming through her now … then she plunged forward over the edge and nodded.

"I am ready," she said softly. "I'm nervous, but … I'm ready to be with you."

_She wanted this; they both did._

Kaidan's eyes flared briefly with excitement and triumph; a shimmering blue of biotics that sung along Sierra's nerve endings. Though in the tingle that ran through his body and passed into hers she felt a more emotional echo of happiness and joy that she had chosen him for her first lover. _No one had ever wanted to be with him before; not really._

He dipped his head and captured her mouth in a slow sizzling kiss, their biotics dancing together like invisible flames, ebbing and flowing like currents as their tongues swirled in a gentle rhythm. Sierra could feel the stirrings or arousal and hunger in her core, the alien sensations stretching and filling her body as he deepened the kiss, his biotics teasing hers gently, coaxingly. Kaidan's hands moved over her armoured body, undoing straps and removing the materials that separated them.

She had never allowed a man to be this close to her before, and she had never intended to, but in the last few months she'd learned many things about Kaidan and herself, and one of those things was that she _wanted_ to be with him. He made her feel a longing that she hadn't thought she could feel; the need to be with someone.

She wanted to let him swallow her up with his biotics, to let him hold her and protect her, and she wanted to do the same for him; to wrap him up tightly in her arms and stop him from ever feeling lonely again. She wanted to make love to him, to know what his body felt like underneath her hands and against her skin, and for him to touch and love her too. It wasn't even their biotic connection that drew her to him, though no doubt that warm reassuring power helped; it was just Kaidan.

She _liked_ him.

She … _more_ than liked him.

Sierra drew in a shaky breath as Kaidan kissed a searing trail down her throat, his teeth lightly scratching at her skin as he nipped at her pulse point. She clung to his shoulders, tingles spreading over her skin like electricity as his hands eased the last of her armour pieces from her upper body and he allowed them to fall to the floor. Despite the underarmour covering her body, she felt naked as his hands swept down her form, gently caressing and stroking her through the fabric.

The pull of his biotics welled up, almost overwhelming as she felt some part of his power slip inside of her, and her into him. It wasn't quite like that first day he had kissed her on the Normandy, when the biotic rush had overwhelmed them both and they had been lost to the sensation so deeply. But there was a sense of disorientation; of being joined. Their desire, their loneliness, and their hunger for one another welled up in a wave that crashed over them both, sweeping away the lingering fear and doubt in the back of Sierra's mind.

She felt his lips move back to hers, the kiss tentative and hesitant now that their biotics were mingling together, and she answered his unasked questions with a playful love bite to his lower lip. _She wanted this. She wanted him. The answer was yes. Yes, yes, yes!_

They moved to the bed as one, stumbling a little as they tried to stay locked in their hungry embrace, shedding the rest of their clothes along the way. boots and grieves no problem to their experienced hands. Their underarmour and undergarments became frustrating barriers, so they got rid of them, and the more skin to skin contact they had, the hungrier they became for more.

Their hands swept over each other's skin; greedy to touch and stroke as much as they could. _But it wasn't enough to merely touch,_ Sierra realised as Kaidan tipped her back on the bed and came down on top of her, his body flickering with the pale blue flames of his biotics. She wanted so much more than touching.

His eyes were glowing a steady blue with his power, the beautiful unearthly light mirrored in her own as she gazed back at him, and Kaidan watched her intently for a heartbeat as though memorising the view of her beneath him before he leaned down and kissed her softly, his mouth tender. Then he resumed his slow seduction of her very willing self; tracing slow tickling trails across her skin with his hands and kissing a hot path down the column of her throat. Each press of his lips was deliberate and left her skin ringing with a faint chord of biotics, and Sierra gasped as she realised he was pushing his power into her with each kiss.

He turned his attention to her breasts, cupping and shaping them in hands that trembled faintly with his power. Indeed, his entire skin was alive with his biotics, so that each touch of his hands and lips on hers was like a miniature burst of invigorating energy.

"You're so beautiful," Kaidan told her, his voice husky as he moved to take a rosy tipped breast in his mouth. "From the first moment I saw you, I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

Sierra bit her lower lip and flexed her hands across his shoulders, feeling the movement of his muscles under his skin. He flicked his tongue over the tip of a nipple, circling the peak and then sucking gently. She gasped and jerked under his ministrations, clutching him tighter and digging nails into his shoulders as the feel of his mouth of her body sent a wonderful warmth coursing through her.

He moved his focus to the other nipple, gently licking and sucking as Sierra moved against him; her hips shifting restlessly as that warmth built into a pleasant ache between her legs. She traced her hands down his arms and gasped in pleasure as he kissed each breast and lifted himself to take her mouth in a longer, deeper kiss. They wound together, legs tangling as Kaidan held her close and Sierra took the opportunity to slide her hands down his back and across the swell of his ass.

He slipped a hand between their bodies and stroked her inner thigh, softly, slowly, his caresses moving ever upwards, giving her every chance to pull away or tell him to stop. But she didn't want to, and she whimpered with the strength of her need as she parted her legs for him and arched her back; silently begging for his touch. She let her own hand drift down his chest, following the hard lines of his pecs and along his abs to the swell of his arousal between his legs.

Nervously, she stroked a hand along his length; he was long and hard, velvety smooth and incredibly hot. She circled his tip with her thumb and smiled as he broke the kiss and groaned softly into her mouth, his face going slack as she touched him.

"God, yes," Kaidan murmured, his voice hoarse with need. "That feels so good."

Sierra kissed him as she continued to roll him in her palm and play with his length, enjoying the feel of his arousal in her hand. He moved his hand to the apex of her thighs and slipped his fingers between her folds, exploring her womanhood and circling the small bundle of nerves that was the focus of all the rapidly building sexual energy she could feel.

It felt good, better than touching herself ever had, and she eagerly lifted her hips towards him, encouraging more. He slipped two fingers inside of her at the same time as he kissed her, pushing them inside of her as he thrust his tongue into her mouth.

"Kaidan!" Sierra gasped his name and let him slide from her hand as she was forced to cling to him as he drove her close to breaking point. Her body aching and pulsing with desire. "Please! I can't take much more."

He laughed softly, a pleased masculine sound, and kissed her. Finally, Kaidan settled himself between her legs and framed her face with his hands, looking down at her glowing eyes as he dipped his head and claimed her lips once more.

"You're ready?"

Sierra smiled and nodded as her body sung with desire and biotics. "I am; I want you."

He smiled at that, as though the concept of her wanting him made him happier than anything else, and he dropped a quick kiss on the tip of her nose as he took himself in hand and began to slowly slide inside of her.

Sierra wound her legs around his waist as Kaidan carefully worked more of his length inside of her, taking his time to let her adjust to his size before he sheathed himself inside of her fully. It felt amazing to have him inside of her, filling her so perfectly, and they both groaned in ecstasy at the sensation of being physically joined so completely. Slowly, so as not to hurt her, Kaidan began to move in slow shallow thrusts, his movements tender and loving.

Despite all the rumours she had heard about sex and how awful first times could be, there was no pain at all. It felt beautiful. Her body rang with biotic power and it flowed through her into Kaidan and from him into her, pulsing and alive. The alien sensation of her biotics reaching out, of them seeking something to latch onto seemed natural here, and she didn't worry about hurting Kaidan, or of him hurting her.

They were in harmony.

In tune.

And the mingling of their power was matched perfectly by the movement of his body within her. The warmth in her stomach built, and a feeling of tightness and fullness grew as Kaidan moved in slow, slick thrusts. Their mouths stayed close, their kisses hungrier and hungrier as their energy and heat continued to build, their biotics demanding more; craving more of each other, more energy, more pleasure.

Sierra gasped and whimpered in pleasure as Kaidan's thrusts sped up and he began to drive himself deeper and faster within her. He raised himself up on his forearms so he could watch her, his eyes glowing with that beautiful swirling unearthly light. She could feel his pleasure, his hunger, how good she felt around him, and how much he had wanted this. It drove her wild, and she nipped along the line of his stubbly jaw; urging him on as that sharp delicious pleasure rose like a crescendo within her.

The swirling pleasure of her climax washed over her unexpectedly. One moment she was moving with Kaidan, rolling her hips to meet his thrusts and straining to reach that glorious peak she could sense just out of reach, and then with one thrust of his power into her, she was there. It was like a switch within her was flipped and she cried out as all the good warm feelings within her exploded outwards.

She clung to Kaidan as a roaring wave of ecstasy rolled through her; stars the colours of biotic supernovas bursting behind her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her, his body shuddering as he reached his climax too and wisps of glowing light danced around them both. Neither spoke, but she could feel his emotions through their connection, how much he cared for her, cherished her, and a deeper brighter emotion that burned like gold within him. It was gone before she could focus on it as Kaidan pulled his power back inside himself and she did the same, reluctant feeder tendrils of energy clinging to their bodies with tingles.

Sierra lay breathless in the afterglow, cuddled to Kaidan's chest as he stroked lazy circles down her back. Her skin hummed where it lay against his and she rubbed one leg against his and kissed the side of his neck.

"Wow," she said softly as Kaidan nuzzled the top of her head. "That was wonderful."

Kaidan drew back and gave her a lopsided smile. "It was amazing." He tightened his arms around her. "I didn't hurt you?"

Sierra smiled. "God, no. Far from it."

"Good." His eyes blazed and his smile became a very male smirk. "I tried to make it good for you, but I got a little carried away towards the end. It's just … I've never felt anything like that before. Making love to you felt incredible. It wasn't just the biotics or the sex, it was you. You're amazing, Siri."

Sierra blinked and reached up a hand to trace his jaw. "It felt beautiful, yeah, but I thought you said it was always good between biotics?"

"Good, yeah, but that was fireworks and shooting stars. I've never felt like this before with anyone." He kissed her gently. "Maybe it's because I haven't been with a biotic I'm in tune with before. Nyreen told me that it was different but … ," he trailed off, his eyes wistful as they moved over her face, a look she couldn't identify shining out of them. "You make me feel things I haven't felt in a long time."

Sierra smiled and butterflies danced in her tummy as she looked into his toffee coloured eyes. The attraction she felt for Kaidan, dangerous and wild though it sometimes felt, had grown exponentially now that she'd made love to him. She could feel the desire for him moving within her like a current, flowing through her veins in time to her heartbeat, pulsing through her biotics in waves.

"You make me feel too," she told him, and she leaned forward and kissed him before he could ask her what he made her feel. Instead she lost herself in the kiss as Kaidan moved to cover her body with his again; desire already sparking between them once more.

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**A/N - Oh gosh, hopefully that was worth the wait! I'd love to know what you thought! ^_^**


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